Holladay planning commissioner dies after auto-pedestrian crash

HOLLADAY — A Holladay planning commissioner who was hit by a car Wednesday evening has died of his injuries.

Cyrus McKell, 83, died overnight after being rushed to a local hospital, the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday.

"He was an incredible gentleman, very sympathetic to the people of Holladay," said fellow Planning Commissioner Brad Scott. "(He was) a crusader and an outright gentleman."

McKell was also a noted botanist who worked at both Weber State University and Utah State University.

He was working in a yard near 4000 South and 2300 East about 3 p.m. Wednesday when a car driven by an 86-year-old man veered into the left side of the road, onto the sidewalk, striking McKell.

The driver of the car was incoherent at the scene, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said.

"There's no evidence of alcohol or drugs, but we sent him to the hospital to determine if any medical conditions may have caused him to drive on the wrong side of the road and on the sidewalk," he said Thursday.

McKell had served on the Holladay Planning Commission for six years.

— Ben Winslow and Rebecca Palmer