A motorcyclist was left in critical condition Friday evening after a vehicle pulled out of a Dollar General parking lot and into his path on Washington Boulevard in Ogden, marking yet another serious crash along a corridor that has now seen repeated collisions between turning vehicles and riders since midsummer.
According to Gephardt Daily, officers were dispatched at 6:53 p.m. Friday to 3161 Washington Blvd. after the vehicle, which was heading south, pulled from the Dollar General lot directly into the path of a southbound motorcycle. The rider struck the vehicle that had turned in front of him, Ogden Police Lt. Kuies told the outlet, and was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The driver remained at the scene and was not suspected of impairment, per the same account, though Kuies said there had been no recent updates on the rider's condition.
A Stretch of Washington Boulevard With a Troubled Recent History
Friday's crash happened less than two blocks from where 68-year-old motorcyclist Robert Bow was killed on July 7 near the 3300 block of Washington Boulevard, when an SUV exiting a commercial parking lot attempted a left-hand turn directly into his path, according to KSL. Then on August 27, a 64-year-old motorcyclist was killed on the 1100 block of Washington Boulevard when a vehicle turned across northbound lanes toward a parking lot and entered his path, a crash Hoodline previously reported was the third such incident in Ogden since July.
Washington Boulevard, which doubles as U.S. Route 89, is a major multi-lane arterial that carries heavy commercial and commuter traffic through central Ogden, and the Utah Department of Transportation had scheduled nighttime lane closures and pavement safety work along the corridor this month to preserve roadway conditions. The corridor's traffic troubles aren't limited to motorcycles, either: in February, three people were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash at 17th Street and Washington Boulevard, according to ABC4 Utah, and Hoodline reported earlier this month on a fatal crash in North Ogden that killed a 73-year-old wheelchair-bound woman along the same stretch.
Utah's Deadliest Year Yet for Motorcyclists
Friday's crash lands amid a grim statewide trend. Utah recorded a historic high of 72 motorcycle fatalities in 2025, a 35% jump in severity and deaths over the prior year even though total motorcycle crashes stayed relatively flat, per the Utah Department of Public Safety. That surge stands in stark contrast to the state's overall traffic picture: total fatalities fell to 264 in 2025, down from 277 the year before and the lowest total since 2019, according to the Utah Department of Transportation. State officials have noted that vulnerable road users, particularly motorcyclists and teen drivers, have suffered disproportionately rising fatality rates even as broader numbers improve.
Public safety data also shows fewer than 10% of motorcyclists killed on Utah roads in recent years had completed a formal motorcycle safety course, while speed contributed to 40% of single-vehicle rider deaths. State officials have pointed riders toward training resources at ridetolive.utah.gov as part of a 2026 campaign urging drivers to look twice before turning.
Who's Required to Yield
Under Utah Code § 41-6a-903, any driver preparing to enter or cross a highway from a driveway, parking lot, or any place other than another roadway is legally required to yield the right-of-way to approaching vehicles already on the main road. That standard applies directly to the kind of pullout collision reported Friday, in which a vehicle leaving a parking lot crossed into an oncoming rider's lane. Ogden's broader crash data underscores the pattern: the city recorded 48 traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2021, according to the Standard-Examiner, prompting local police to sharpen enforcement around speeding, aggressive driving and turning violations.
Serious crashes in Weber County are typically examined by the Weber Metro C.R.A.S.H. Team, a multi-jurisdictional task force that includes the Ogden Police Department and the Weber County Sheriff's Office and provides specialized reconstruction resources for fatal and serious-injury traffic incidents, per the Harrisville Police Department. Whether that unit will examine Friday's crash, whether citations will follow, and the rider's current condition remain open questions as the investigation continues. Gephardt Daily said it will update its report as more information becomes available.
