Preliminary investigation revealed that on Monday, May 15, at approximately 11:20 a.m., a red Chevy Corvette was traveling eastbound on Mesa Blvd approaching the marked pedestrian crosswalk at Eureka Way. This is not an intersection controlled by a light signal; it is only a marked pedestrian crosswalk. A pedestrian was walking from south to north across the pedestrian crosswalk. The driver of the red Corvette failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian and the front of the Corvette struck the left side of the pedestrian. The driver of the Corvette slowed down, made a U-turn and parked in the center lane on scene.
The 61 year old male pedestrian who was later identified as Panorama City, California resident, Davit Ghazaryan was transported to Mesa View Hospital where he succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.
The 78 year old driver of the Corvette was restrained and suffered no injuries.
Charges are pending at this time.
Drivers seem to obey speed limits only in high density traffic areas. 40-50 mph through residential area on Whitey Lee is not unusual.
That is a dangerous crosswalk. We see lots of drivers not yeilding to peds. Perhaps a signal there b would stop those who are always in a hurry. Tragic accident. It could have been avoided.
Unfortunately traffic lights are expensive and we can not afford to put one everywhere this sort of thing may happen. I would rather see required senior driver improvement courses for our large population of older drivers. The fact is that you’re eyes deteriorate as you age, your reactions times slow, and sometimes your judgement is impaired. Add that to the fact that we do have many seniors driving fast sports and collectable cars, many for the first times in their lives and you have a recipe for disaster.And more enforcement by MPD for people crossing against traffic lights thinking it’s ok because they are in a crosswalk. I see it daily at the signal controlled crosswalk between the Eureka and the Virgin River, by residents and visitors alike. And more people need to remember to stop before the limit line at crosswalks, stop signs and traffic lights. Bottom line is, we all need to be more careful.