Bountiful, UT – Driver Has Three Beers, Hits Pedestrian In Front Of Taco Bell At 500 South And 500 West

Bountiful, UT (July 01, 2022) – A man was arrested after he struck a pedestrian during a drunk driving crash in front of a Taco Bell on Thursday, June 30th in Bountiful.

The suspect has been identified by Bountiful Police as 29-year-old Rodney Wilson. 

Police say the incident took place in front of a Taco Bell located at 500 West and 500 South at about 7:20 p.m. 

Upon their arrival, officers located an adult male with injuries he sustained when he was hit by a vehicle when it accelerated at a high rate of speed. 

Reports show that Wilson was making a lefthand turn off 500 West onto 500 South when he left the roadway, drove up on a sidewalk, struck a pedestrian, and eventually collided with a large tree.

Wilson’s vehicle sustained heavy damage during the impact. 

Officers said that as they approached Wilson’s vehicle, they noticed a strong smell of alcohol coming from the suspect. Wilson exhibited the telltale bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. He also had a hard time finding his driver’s license when asked.

Police also observed several unopened cans of beer on the back seat and floor of Wilson’s vehicle.

During police inquiries, Wilson admitted to having drank three beers at the time and was coming from a store where he just bought more beer.  

With a blood-alcohol content of .023%, he was arrested for driving under the influence. 

During an evaluation at a local hospital, Wilson said he had no idea he hit a pedestrian during the incident. He told officers that he drinks approximately three times a week and on his days off, like the day of the crash.

The victim was taken by ambulance to a local hospital with non-critical injuries.

Wilson was arrested and charged with one count of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of over .05%. He is currently booked in the Davis County Jail.

Our thoughts are with the injured victim and their family at this time. We hope for their full recovery.

Following a crash involving a drunk driver, you need to seek medical care immediately. Automobile collisions usually cause their victims to experience critical injuries. In addition, you can make your injuries much worse by rejecting medical attention. In this situation, the best thing you can do is to agree to be examined by the emergency medical services team even if you are not showing any obvious indications of physical injuries.

Some of the most frequent injuries the victims of Utah drunk driving accidents endure include:

• Burn Injuries: In some circumstances, a vehicle crash can lead to a fire. Vehicle fires often cause collision victims to sustain serious burn injuries and even asphyxiate. 
• Crush Injuries: A crush injury occurs when a part of the body is trapped in wreckage from a crash. A medical team needs to quickly extricate you in order to prevent the crush injury from becoming increasingly severe.  
• Broken Bones: Broken bones vary in their severity. A broken bone can encompass anything from a hairline fracture to a compound fracture where the bone is protruding through the skin. Although broken bones eventually heal, it can take some victims a long time to fully recover.
• Traumatic Brain Injury: When people think of head injuries, they often imagine something simple such as dizziness and headaches. There are cases, however, when these symptoms indicate something much more serious, like a traumatic brain injury. In order to ensure that a TBI is properly identified, a professional medical diagnosis is required.  

Just like in other personal injury cases, victims are eligible for compensation from the liable party. They will, however, have to prove that the driver’s carelessness was the cause of their accident. If the victim is able to demonstrate the negligent driver’s liability for the crash, they could be eligible to collect: 

• Non-Economic Damages: Drunk driving victims often endure emotional anguish or other emotional health problems following either their accident or one in which they lost a family member. In these cases, a victim is able to demand non-economic damages from the respondent. These are immaterial losses that do not have anything to do with the victim’s finances.
• Punitive Damages: Punitive damages are intended as a punishment rather than recompense. A court may appoint punitive damages to the respondent if they feel that their behavior was grossly negligent.
• Economic Damages: Economic damages are tangible, calculable losses that impact the victim’s financial resources. The person liable is required by the law to compensate the victim for their losses. The victim of a drunk driving accident is able to collect remuneration for their medical costs, lost earnings, and damage to their property.

If you have been injured in a car accident as a result of another person’s actions, contact the Utah personal injury attorneys at Jardine Law Offices P.C. by calling (801) 451-9555 to schedule a free case evaluation to see how we can help you.

Notes: The details and information utilized to create this post were gathered through the use of secondary sources. The details surrounding this accident have not been independently verified by the writing staff at Jardine Law Offices P.C.. These sources include but are not limited to newspaper stories, local news sources, local and state police reports, and eyewitness accounts about serious accidents that take place in Farmington and Salt Lake City, Utah. If you locate any information that is inaccurate, please contact us right away so that we can update the post with the most accurate information available. If you would like the post to be removed, please let us know and we will remove it as soon as possible. 

Disclaimers: The attorneys at Jardine Law Offices P.C. have worked hard through the years to build a solid business reputation in the community. We write about these serious incidents to bring awareness about the dangers associated with driving in hopes that our fellow community members will use an abundance of caution when operating a motor vehicle and avoid being involved in a serious accident themselves. This story is not intended to be a solicitation for business. The information provided in this post should not be misconstrued as medical or legal advice. The photos used in this post are not taken from the scene of this accident.