A 44-year-old woman riding her bicycle through the intersection of Center Street and 100 East in Richfield was struck by a Toyota Tacoma just before 6 p.m. Monday, leaving her with non-life-threatening injuries after a trip to the hospital. Police say the truck's driver was cited for failure to yield following the collision.
Richfield City Police and EMS crews responded to the crash scene on Monday evening, according to Mid-Utah Radio. Police told the outlet that the Tacoma had been stopped at a westbound stop sign while another vehicle moved through the intersection at the same time. As that happened, the woman started crossing the intersection heading north on her bike, and the Tacoma accelerated through the intersection, colliding with her.
EMS treated the woman at the scene before she was taken to Sevier Valley Hospital in Richfield, where she was found to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Tacoma was cited for failure to yield, the report notes.
Police Point to Sun Glare as a Driving Hazard
In the aftermath, Richfield City Police reminded residents to be cautious when driving with the sun obscuring their vision, per the same account relayed by Mid-Utah Radio. The advisory came as a general caution to drivers rather than a stated cause of Monday's crash.
Under Utah law, a bicycle is treated as a vehicle on the roadway, with its rider bound by the same rules as any other driver — including stop signs, yield signs, and traffic-control devices, according to a cycling-laws brochure from the Utah Department of Public Safety. Separately, Utah statute specifies that pedestrians crossing at any point other than a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection must yield the right-of-way to vehicles on the roadway, per the Utah Legislature.
Part of a Broader Pattern on Utah Roads
Monday's crash adds to a pattern tracked statewide: the Utah Highway Safety Office has reported that 2,513 bicyclists were involved in reportable motor-vehicle crashes across the state between 2017 and 2021. The office's crash-data portal compiles statewide figures dating back to 2010 for researchers and the public to review.
The circumstances in Richfield echo another local crash referenced by KMYU, in which Utah Highway Patrol and Richfield City Police responded to a vehicle-versus-pedestrian collision at SR 119 and Black Knolls Road involving a 14-year-old juvenile struck by a westbound passenger vehicle. No further details tying that incident to Monday's crash were available.
