Leaders talk safety after fatal crashes near homeless center

SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (AP) - Salt Lake City leaders have called for immediate pedestrian safety improvements after three men were fatally struck while trying to cross the street near a new homeless resource center.

Four crashes including three deaths have occurred in the area since the November opening of the 300-bed men’s resource center in South Salt Lake, police officials said.

Police believe all three men were homeless and seeking shelter at the center, authorities said.

The first fatal crash occurred weeks after the center opened when a man attempting to cross a six-lane road was struck by a vehicle, authorities said. He has not yet been identified.

The second occurred on Christmas Day when a vehicle hit Randall Stewart, 43, who was in a wheelchair in the roadway, police said. Stewart was hospitalized and later died, authorities said.

Two separate crashes occurred Friday injuring an unidentified 29-year-old man and killing Duane Nebeker, 67, authorities said.

“It breaks my heart that our city is going through this tragic time,” Councilwoman Corey Thomas said. “It’s tragic for all involved - the individuals that have passed away, their families, and also the individuals in the cars. It’s extremely traumatic.”

Thomas is working with the state Department of Transportation to reduce the speed limit from 45 mph to 35 mph (72 kph to 56 kph) in areas near the shelter and to put a crosswalk closer to the shelter, she said.

“South Salt Lake has known this is a dangerous street from the beginning,” said Michelle Flynn, interim executive director of The Road Home, which operates the resource center.

The city’s permit cited that people who walk or bus to the shelter would have no designated crosswalk and encouraged Shelter the Homeless to recommend safe routes and work with transportation officials to install a lighted crosswalk “as soon as practicable,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

A timeline for any improvements is unclear but the resource center is working with South Salt Lake police and other community partners to boost safety, state Department of Transportation spokesman John Gleason said.

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we’re looking out for people’s safety, but we’re also asking everyone else to take steps in order to protect themselves as well,” Gleason said.