A truck barreling through a Kearns street in the early hours of a Sunday morning slammed into a van, which then struck a woman walking home and threw her into a driveway, according to a neighbor who says the whole thing was caught on his security camera. The truck kept going. Days later, residents say they still do not know whether the driver has been found.
Neighbor Brian Littlefield described the moment to FOX 13 News Utah, saying the truck was traveling at high speed when it hit the van. “The truck hit a van, which the van then struck her and threw her into the driveway,” Littlefield said. His camera footage reportedly captured the woman walking just moments before the crash, and then showed the truck driving off afterward.
Debris Still Littering the Street a Week Later
Littlefield said that even a week after the crash, pieces of the wrecked vehicles remained scattered on the road. “Bits and pieces of bodywork, taillights, headlights of probably the van and definitely the truck,” he said, describing what was left behind. The van that was struck belonged to his neighbors, he said, and it was the vehicle they relied on to get to work and run errands.
Littlefield said his most recent information was that the injured woman had been taken to a hospital, though he did not have further details on her condition. He told the station he wants the driver tracked down and held responsible for what happened.
Scanner Audio Pointed to a Hit-and-Run
Scanner audio reviewed by the outlet indicated the incident was called in as a hit-and-run, though it remained unclear whether police had located anyone in connection with the crash. Neighbors told the station they had not received any updates on the case. The report noted that Unified Police had asked for a follow-up call Monday after being contacted about the status of a possible suspect and the woman's condition, and anyone with information was asked to contact the Unified Police Department.
Under Utah law, a driver who realizes only after leaving the scene that they may have been involved in a crash is required to come back and comply as closely as possible with the state's accident-reporting statute, according to Utah Legislature code. The same statute states that a driver is guilty of a third-degree felony if the crash caused serious bodily injury, though the available text does not spell out how that provision would apply in this case.
Not the Only Recent Kearns Crash
This is not the only pedestrian crash to hit the Kearns area. FOX 13 News Utah also reported that a person was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle in Kearns on a Friday evening, in a collision at 4180 West and 4715 South where it was not known if the pedestrian was in the crosswalk; that crash remained under investigation. In a separate incident, KJZZ reported that a 66-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition after being hit by a man driving a Ford F-150 near 4620 West and 5415 South, with Unified Police Lt. Shane Manwaring confirming the location. In that case, the driver stayed at the scene and rendered aid before crews arrived, a contrast to what neighbors describe happening in the Littlefield case.
The pattern fits a broader trend tracked statewide. According to KUER, hit-and-runs made up just 4% of Utah crashes in 2019 but climbed to 8.7% by 2022, and were running at 9.5% so far in 2024. For crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians specifically, KUER reported that more than 16% have been hit-and-runs since 2022 — a share that underscores why incidents like the one in Kearns leave neighbors so unsettled while they wait for word from police.
