Boy killed, 4-year-old hurt in West Valley City

One child is dead and another is in critical condition after being thrown from the vehicle that police say their 15-year-old brother was driving Monday when it was hit near a West Valley mall.

Four passengers, including the two children, and the underage driver were in a brown Ford Taurus waiting to make a left turn into the Valley Fair Mall entrance on 2700 West at about 3:40 p.m., when they turned in front of an approaching northbound Chevrolet Impala, said West Valley Police Capt. Steve Sandquist.

He said the vehicle slammed into the rear passenger side of the Taurus, causing a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old to be thrown from the car.

"Initial indications are that there were no seat belts used (in the Taurus)," Sandquist said.

Two other passengers in the Taurus, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, were also injured. One was taken to Pioneer Valley Hospital with minor injuries, and the other was treated at the scene. The driver was also treated for minor injuries.

The five people in the approaching Impala were all restrained by seat belts and were not injured in the crash, Sandquist said.

The children were flown in separate helicopters to Primary Children's Medical Center, where the 6-year-old was later pronounced dead. The 4-year-old remained in critical condition Monday night.

Incidents involving family members are always difficult to review, Sandquist said, but citations and charges regarding the accident are in the works.

Investigators have talked with the parents, said Sandquist, who declined to reveal details of those discussions. Names of the victims were not released because the driver is a minor who could face criminal charges.

Multiple charges are pending for the 15-year-old unlicensed driver, Sandquist said, include failure to yield, driving without a license and automobile homicide in the death of a sibling.

"Now there's a fatality involved; it changes the entire scope of the investigation into charges," he said.

The intersection, near 3650 South and 2700 West, is not typically dangerous, Sandquist said, "but the combination of failure to yield and an inexperienced driver" caused the accident.

The entrance to the mall and one lane on 2700 West were closed for several hours as officials cleared the scene and investigated the accident.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com