Saratoga Springs, UT (September 27, 2022) – A local woman was killed when a car collided with an Alpine School District school bus in Saratoga Springs on Monday, September 26th.
The casualty has been identified as 20-year-old Lauren Scott, who was a passenger in a vehicle that was hit by a southbound school bus in the area of Ring Road and Redwood Road.
According to police, the bus was traveling southbound when the driver of the car, 19-year-old Caden Simmons, a resident of Saratoga Springs, made a lefthand turn directly into the path of the bus. The bus struck the side of the vehicle and the front seat passenger died as a result.
Police said that the driver was trying to turn into the parking lot of the Maverik gas station in the 2000th block of Redwood Road.
Scott and Simmons were the only occupants of the sedan.
Simmons is currently listed in critical but stable condition.
Neither the bus driver nor any of the four students on board were injured during the impact.
We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased victim, Ms. Lauren Scott, at this time.
There are a lot of reasons why one driver might choose to disregard another’s right of way. A report issued by a private company that analyzes collision data provided by insurance carriers shows that failure to yield crashes are the fourth most common cause of fatal accidents and the number one source of injury-causing accidents nationwide.
When a driver fails to yield, it can cause many types of serious collisions, including side-impact, rear-end, and head-on collisions. Failing to yield at a crosswalk can result in dangerous accidents involving pedestrians and bicycle riders whose complete lack of safety features leaves them extremely vulnerable.
The leading causes of Utah’s failure to yield collisions are:
- Distractions Inside the Vehicle: When a driver is distracted by something outside or inside their vehicle and, as a result, they fail to pay attention to the roadway, they could disregard the right of way of others. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that distracted driving is any action that redirects someone’s attention away from driving, like texting or talking on your phone, drinking or eating, talking to passengers, or using the stereo.
- Driving While Intoxicated:Alcohol reduces your reaction time and impairs your judgment. A driver who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs could fail to yield to pedestrians or other cars. There are also certain prescription medications that can hinder someone’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.
- Driving While Fatigued:When a driver is severely fatigued or overly tired, they might not have the capacity to give their undivided attention to their surroundings. They are also less likely to correctly judge distances and might fail to notice that another driver has the right of way.
After being injured in a failure to yield collision that was not your fault, contact our Utah personal injury attorney from Jardine Law Offices P.C. by calling (801) 350-3506 to schedule a free case assessment and learn 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.