UHP releases dash cam video of fatal St. George accident

[mankindsonly]

I see no fault in the officer, at all. period.

[mz8560056]

ha ha those stupid old bags are dead!! thats what they get for not paying attention!!

[suicidesucks08]

@mz8560056 Cant wait to hear when someone in your family dies... let me know so I can be an ignorant jackass like you .. dont forget your mom sis bro dad let me know .. I ll send you a postcard with a pic of shit ... something on the same level as your family

[cppa102]

@richierich1285 your a real idiot, thats about all I can say about your comments!

[TheCrocBoss]

old fools they got what they had coming for being stupid

[MegaSpitz13]

Diminishing depth percepton occurs when objects come right towards you. That's proven fact.

And about all the talk about the elderly drivers?... we will be in their 'shoes', too. So, STFU!

[P71CVPI07AZ]

That Crown Vic destroyed that Buick !

[silverstreak492]

its the ladys fault. The police officer had his lights can could have been alive if they would have stopped

[lincolnmicahfox]

Flashing lights are not a "green light" to travel at any speed regardless of the situation. Police should be held accountable for their actions.

[dmoneyhoney8181]

and old lady pulling out in front of someone? no way!!!!

[glockman1727ak47]

@dmoneyhoney8181 lol

[TomRock81]

I'm not going to blame either side but I will say this.

1. When you turn 70-75 you should have to re-take your driving test

2. Even when a cop has his lights/siren some need to do a little better job yielding at red/yellow lights.

I don't think either are to blame I just think they where in the wrong place and the wrong time and it's very tragic they had to pass like that.

[byurocks14]

to most of the people commenting on this video don't have the real story at the the news story doesn't have every detail...Its tragic for all those involved I feel sorry for the Officer because he has to go through life with knowing he killed a Grandma/Mother and an aunt. I also feel for the family because they lost someone. I think we should respect both parties and not place the blame on either party.

[notanova]

Thats it i'm telling my mom to sell her buick. lol



[PhantomFragg]

L for lights, B for brakes, S for siren. That's usually standard equipment on dashcam units for police.

One hell of a crash.

[Quelz4unme]

Probably should have went left.

[supramanz]

Thats what flashing lights are for. They must be a little blind. Not the cops fault

[Richierich1285]

he needs to be locked up for invaltary murder if it was one of us on the street that got in an wreck we would be charged with invaltary murder

[95gtscort]

@Richierich1285 Are you kidding me? You honestly blame the cop for this one? You must drive like a whack job. If you’re going to accuse someone of doing something wrong learn to spell. It’s involuntary manslaughter not “invaltary murder”!!!

[Richierich1285]

@Richierich1285 either way its still murder an yes its the cops falt i wasnt doing his job he had no lights or sirens on plus doing more then twice the speed limit

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 dude, that "L" to the left of the date means "Lights"...and he went over the speed limit because he was en route to an accident call and did not want to take his sweet little time of making it there

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 yeah i realized that after i posted the comment but i did not see no sirens.if you think about it if it was one of us that hit a car an killed someone we would be locked up an threw away the keys y should a cop get any other treatment

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 well that's why people are supposed to pay extra attention and not pull in front of an emergency vehicle with it's lights flashing...that's about the safest thing you can do...if you see a cop car, ambulance, or fire engine comin' with it's lights on (but no siren) as your about to make a turn into their path, just wait for them go on by 1st....I do that every time I'm on the road...

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 yeah but not everyone does that an their should be somekind of recorse for this cops actions

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 there are recorses for anything like this, but only after a thorough investigation.....but the cops guilt about this mess is a recorse that will never go away for him

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 yeah but what i am trying to say is that him disaplend will not be as bad as it would be for me or u bc hes a cop the most he will get is a unpaid vacation

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 well, I hate to say this, but that's the way it goes when there's bad stuff that involves officers....I actually plan on becoming a cop, but don't plan on gettin' into a situation like this

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 yeah well i hope you dont become one of them bad cops that brakes the same laws you are their to uphold when you take the othe to up hold the bill of rights make sure you do just that an not get cought up in all the bull shit that the bad ones are into good luck with becoming a cop

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 yeah, I wanna be the best cop there ever was....plus I'm just too mentally disciplined to do anything that I shouldn't do anyway (I've been that way for as long as I can remember although childhood was a different story)

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 thats a good thing their is to many cops out their that lets the power go to their head

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 yeah, and when cops do let that power go to their heads (and sometimes it can be seen on video), it tends to annoy me and makes me say "I will never be like that"

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 yeah i cant stand them kind of cops

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 well, cops are like candy: they come in many varieties

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013  ok lol

[sumofnone3]

@chpman2013 How do you mean a situation like this?? This was not the officer's fault clearly!! The lady pulled in front of him and she had clear view of him coming at her with lights and siren on!! Be careful what you say because things like that do happen that will be completely out of your control.

[chpman2013]

@sumofnone3 dude, if you read my above comments, you'll see that I did NOT fault the officer...I know what he was doin'...when I said "situation like this", I meant what he was goin' through at the time and still goes through today....the car that pulled in front of him was not payin' attention at all

[chpman2013]

@Richierich1285 and to be a little specific, as I like to be, it's actually vehicular manslaughter 

[Richierich1285]

@chpman2013 yeah either way he still killed someone

[nuclearthreat545]

Old people are THE WORST drivers!!!!

[Feltmountainbiker]

old people.

[sk1joness]

Stupid old ladies...

[jpt012]

ITS NOT THAT OLDER PEOPLE SHOULDNT DRIVE BUT I DO AGREE WITH YEARLY DRIVER TEST OF ATLEAST 70 AND OLDER

[mav9000]

Sympathies to all involved. The simple fact of the matter is that the ladies involved did not yield right of way to a police car lawfully engaged in responding to the scene of an accident with its accessories being used. In a nutshell, an old lady killed herself and her sister by not being alert and obeying the law. Beyond those factors, it may have been God's Will that they be taken out. Perhaps the next hour or the next day the lady might have killed a youngster with her auto.

[Korbs21]

The officer was doing evrything right -> Lights on he jsut did his job

The other person didn't pay enough attention else she would have seen him long time ago and wouldnt have turned that way!

Cops have to speed if they have a assistance call. Do you want 'em to drive along with the speed limit with sirens on? That wouldnt make sense at all.

[htool11462]

@Korbs21 So the officer was doing everything right, you obviously wouldnt mind if it was your grandma next time?? People arent expecting a car to come out of nowhere doing 85 mph. Just not enough reaction time, elderly or not. Why didnt the cop notice the car wasnt pulling and conclude that the driver didnt see him and take precautionary measures?? Bullll Shit!

[yellowfungis]

@htool11462 Most people dont realize how hard it is for officers to respond to calls with lights and sirens. Anybody who is an officer or has done a ride along can tell the majority of drivers on the roadway DO NOT yield to emergency vehicles on a daily basis. There was not enough time for the trooper to respond. As harsh as it is to say inattentive driving by the female driver caused the accident plain and simple. Yes it is tragic that it happened but you cannot blame the trooper for this. 

[htool11462]

@yellowfungis Yeah probably so. And this over zealous cop doing 85 MPH IN A 40 mph zone was justified because he had to get to a non critical traffic accident? I am sure it is difficult as hell to respond to calls and negotiate thru drivers that are clueless. However, Cops still have to account for that and keep all citizens' safety in mind. Again... put your grandmother in that situation and then what? I truely get tired of poeple brainwashed that cops do no wrong.. THEY DO! See vid.

[yellowfungis]

@htool11462 If it was my grandmother I would be sad it happened but know that it wasn't the officers fault. The reason for a fast response for a "non critical" accident is so there is not another accident by the same people that dont get out of the way. The road was basically empty. I agree there are a few cops that make poor choices this is not one of them. The problem is the public only sees what the media puts out unless you have experienced what the job is like you just dont know.

[htool11462]

@yellowfungis A compelling argument and a valid point. I just go back to the few sec's before impact when the officer sped up significantly. I'm sure the cop also thought the road was basically empty. Bottom line for me, It's he responsibility to protect, and if he speed wasnt more than double the limit ...... No fatality.

[yellowfungis]

@htool11462 I re-watched the video multiple times and I see what you are saying about how it appears that he speeds up however it is actually the car just going over a bump making the camera jump up and making it appear that he speeds up. Also I dont know where you are getting double the speed limit seeing as the video never states a speed he was traveling. When all is said and done the car should not have even been in the center lane she should have been on the far left shoulder of the road

[yellowfungis]

@htool11462 One final thought about the whole thing... from the accidents I have seen (a lot of them) and from what I can see in the video even if the officer was travleing at a normal speed the angle of impact would most likely still have been fatal. The car was an older model with no side impact airbags (not that they would have helped). And the officer has multiple things going on (lights, sirens, radio traffic, etc.) a normal civilian would still have crashed going the normal speed limit.

[byurocks14]

Before anyone can judge the trooper, we need to keep in mind both sides of what happened, how would anyone feel if they did what he did. In the Deseret News a family member said he had forgiven if a family member can forgive why can't we.

[Transmorphing]

The officer was travelling at a accellerated rate of speed to get to a fatal accident ( a 15 car pile-up) on I-15. He was traveling in the number 2 lane with lights on. There was a clear and visible distance between the SUV and the car the women were driving. As he got closer the women pulled in front of him. The officers speed is justified because of the severity of the call he was responding too.

[htool11462]

@Transmorphing It was not a fatal accident!! It was a pile up on the freeway, gets your facts straight before you try to justify manslaughter!

[josh26wv]

Why would anyone pull out in front of a police car with lights n siren on? The police didn't do anything wrong in this, could the vision or driving skills from the older people not get checked out more before renewing there licenses? This video is total proof that old folks need to be off the road

[htool11462]

@josh26wv The cop was doing 82 mph in a 40 or 45 zone! I think age is a factor but I dont think even a young healthy driver can anticipate something coming at them that fast .... the cop was careless and put lives in danger responding to a call that was non life threatening. Protect and serve?

[zapazoid]

@htool11462 40 to 45 mph their survial rate would still have been near zero for this type of accident. Elderly drivers are as nearly as dangerous as very young drivers.

[htool11462]

@zapazoid Well, If cop was driving 45 mph he would have had much more time to react, respond, brake or steer around, so I dont see how your reasoning holds any water?? Way too fast and out of control

[zapazoid]

@htool11462 , the old lady was going less than 5 mph and she did not react, respond, brake or steer around the vehicle with flashing lights and a siren. So how slow should every one drive if even below 5 mph you cannot see? P.S. the old lady was also making an illegal turn. Plus Utah law states a driver SHALL yield to an emergency vehicle, not should yield or ought to yield. Also a old lady in St. George killed a couple on their way to get married.

[htool11462]

@zapazoid It doesnt matter how slow or how fast we drive, the point is that the speed limit on that road was established by State laws that determine how fast one can travel and still be SAFE! Your state law reasoning allows for reckless abandon with no responsibility to insure SAFETY! Please tell me your getting this.

[NITECOREPD]

@zapazoid exactly. i have been hit many times by fucking old people!

[sosome57]

@josh26wv Here in Utah, as long as you can pass the driver's test - and you can take that driver's test like five times in one day (I know because my 75 year old mother did just that with the booklet!) - and pass the eye exam looking into the little viewer, you get your license. No age limit. I would never have let my mother have her license. The nose of the car seems to dive - brakes? - but at that distance they were all screwed. Tragic for all parties.

[Nancy8805]

While I do think he should have used some judgment and not gone nearly double the speed limit, this isn't entirely on him. Unexpected death is always a tragedy. Hopefully the review of the policy will include the math I just showed, weighing the 5-8 minutes saved (which may be crucial for saving life) against the risk for taking additional human life to achieve that saved time, particularly when there were already law enforcement present.

[Nancy8805]

I just looked up info on both accidents, playing with Google maps, going that speed down that road (i don't know his home address) would save him less than 1 minute from the site of the crash to the freeway, where he still had 22-28 minutes of driving to do (at the speed limit, 22 by my calculation, 28 by Google's) which he could reduce to about 18-19 minutes assuming he went 85-90 on the freeway.

[OneLonewolf]

@Nancy8805 Yeah right lets be realistic here, if an officer is responding to a call out on the freeway, he would not only do 85 to get there. try closer to 100-110. witch would cut the time in 1/3. it would have been anywhere from 12-15 min. witch every min counts.

[Nancy8805]

By the way, the speed limit on that road is 45, but that doesn't apply to troopers responding to calls, I'm glad they're reviewing that policy now. I think it was fox news (ch 13) that had that info. My numbers might be off a bit but it was definitely 80 something and 60 something that they said.

[Nancy8805]

this channel didn't have the speed, but the channel i watched the news on had the speed, he was going 82 before he hit the brakes, then you see a B show up next to the L, that means he hit the brakes, he was going about 67 at time of impact

[kidynamite58]

UHP must assume that every driver is elderly

with very limited vision, motor skills, and drive

accordingly.

[MrsFizgig]

Your right byurocks14, I removed my post in respect of the family

[htool11462]

Uuhm ... before you clear this trooper of any wrong doing and call it just a twist of fate, he had to have been doing 80 or 90 at the time of impact. Way too fast and he obviously put people at risk, and for what? to get to an accident scene?. Motorists cant just adapt for a car thats doing double or triple the speed limit, lights or no lights.

[byurocks14]

before MrsFizgig and postiez can judge the driver or the trooper clearly in the video a car was ahead of the the two women that were hit, that car blocked the view of the driver, who was killed, so it was just a tragic accident, i feel bad for both the family and the cop. and another thing you both need to watch what you say im sure the family will see or has seen your comments

[OneLonewolf]

@byurocks14 Bullshit! there was clearly enough room between the SUV and there buick. it seems to me that they where trying to shoot the gap or just plainly not paying attention. if you look at the full video he gets cut off at another light. and you can clearly tell that the SUV was out of the way before he was threw the light. Witch to a good drive you can see that far. this shit goes on all the time in Utah it seems like

[byurocks14]

@OneLonewolf i'm sorry to say i know that family really well and what they went through, and i really don't like people like you with a giant mouth. there is clearly fault on both side a cop should not ever go 85 in a 40 he put many other lives in danger including his own, and those two ladies should have pulled over, so it all was a unfourtunate accident and i hope the officer and the family can move on

[windigo77]

@MrsFizgig I disagree. He was going way too fast when responding to a call 45 MINUTES away. There was absolutely no reason for him to be traveling so fast.

[postiez]

She clearly just pulled out in front of him, he had his lights on... Utahn drivers are amazing.