A 40-year-old man was left with critical but non-life-threatening injuries Thursday evening after a van struck him while he was riding his bike in South Salt Lake. Police said the crash happened near 2125 South West Temple just after 5 p.m., and the man was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
South Salt Lake City Police Department officers were dispatched to the scene and found the injured man, according to KUTV. Emergency crews transported him to an area hospital, and the outlet reports that the van driver stayed at the scene and was cooperative with officers. Investigators said they do not suspect that driving under the influence played a role in the crash.
The station's report notes that the Major Crash Team was still working to determine the cause of the collision as of Thursday evening, with no additional details released about how the crash unfolded. Authorities have not said whether the driver will face citations, and the exact circumstances of the collision remain under investigation.
A Pattern of Close Calls on South Salt Lake Streets
Thursday's crash echoes a similar incident from the summer before, when a bicyclist was left in critical condition after being struck by a car near 2896 S. 900 West in South Salt Lake, according to KSL. That report described the hit-and-run as part of what it called “a slew of vehicle and bike collisions across the Wasatch Front in recent weeks.” South Salt Lake has also seen fatal incidents involving pedestrians and drivers, including one death that police described as an apparent hit-and-run, as reported by ABC4.
Countywide, Cyclist Deaths Are Climbing
The crash arrives amid a broader rise in bicycle-related injuries and deaths across Salt Lake County. Bicycle-involved crashes and cyclist injuries in the county had declined steadily from 2012 through 2022, but according to The Salt Lake Tribune, “those numbers have climbed again over the past three years.” The same report found that four bicyclists had died in collisions with cars in Salt Lake County so far this year, the highest annual total since five deaths in 2022.
One of those recent deaths came in Salt Lake City, where a man was killed after colliding with a vehicle while riding his bike at 1000 East and 800 South, per ABC4. The Tribune's account of that crash specified that the cyclist was riding downhill on 800 South near 1000 East when he collided with a turning car around 6:13 p.m. on Aug. 25.
Street Improvements Near the Crash Site
West Temple, where Thursday's crash occurred, was the subject of a 2024 reconstruction project aimed at improving safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists between North Temple and 400 South, according to details published by Salt Lake City. That project focused on repairing worn pavement and adding safety features along the corridor north of 2125 South, and did not extend to the crash site.
For now, the cause of the South Salt Lake crash remains under investigation by the Major Crash Team, and no further updates on the injured man's condition have been released.
