Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Team coverageInvestigators are trying to piece together the details of a terrifying motorcycle accident last night shocked a Herriman neighborhood.
Several people were sent to the hospital with serious injuries after two motorcycles crashed into a neighborhood party. Three of those people injured were under the age of 3.
There have been rumors that the two motorcyclists may have been racing. But an investigation is underway, and those rumors have not been confirmed.
One thing we do know: The two teenagers were traveling at 70 miles per hour down a residential street when they lost control of their bikes. According to neighbors, this is not the first time speed has been an issue on the street.
Last night, nearly 50 people had gathered for the neighborhood party at a home located near 5800 West and Emmeline Drive (14265 South). Just as things were winding down, two teenagers speeding down the street swerved to avoid a group of boys in the road and crashed into the crowd.
The first bike, driven by a 17-year-old, crashed into one yard, just missing a group of people. The second bike, driven by 19-year-old Nicolas Christiansen, hit the curb and slammed into a rock. His bike crashed into a mother and her young children.
"The one bike hit a little 3-year-old boy and then kept going and hit a stroller with an 8-month-old baby in it, and then then mother, and then it stopped in their driveway," neighbor Julie Gamble said.
The 3-year-old boy suffered a broken femur and tibia. His grandmother, Joyce Stroud, described the scene. "These two little tots [were] screaming in agony and fear, and people panicked everywhere," she said.
"It's just shocking. These people, I am sure, would have never thought in their wildest dreams that something like this would have happened in their neighborhood," said Paul Jaroscak, spokesman for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Neighbors were still visibly shaken the morning after the accident and told us this is not the first time they have seen cars and motorcycles racing down Emmeline Drive. They say there have been several accidents on this particular street due to the lack of stop signs.
Julie Gamble said, "There are no stop signs on this street at all, and that is why they choose it probably. They can just go straight through without any stop signs."
Those living in this Herriman neighborhood are hoping drivers will learn a lesson from this accident.
"There is always a lot of kids out here. In fact, we have had a lot of parents who are out here yelling at people because they blaze through Friendship Drive and this road here. So, it's pretty scary. We're hoping with this, they will implement some sort of speed bump or something because it's just an awful problem," neighbor Susie Chapman said.
The two motorcyclists involved were taken to the hospital in serious condition. They may face criminal charges pending the investigation.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
