Cyclists mourn deaths of two brothers killed in Telegraph Street crash
Cyclists were mourning two deaths and calling for better awareness after two brothers were hit by a car and killed in Washington City on Saturday.
The two men, who were participating in a popular group ride that covered much of Washington County, were both in a dedicated bike lane when they were hit, according to Washington City police.
The two victims were not immediately identified, although police confirmed that they were two brothers from California.
The two men were struck by a passing car at about 2 p.m. on Saturday along Telegraph Street near Coral Canyon Blvd. They were on the westbound side of the road inside the bike lane when they were hit by a Hyundai genesis that came up behind them, also going west, according to police. The posted speed limit in the area is 50 mph.
Witnesses and first responders responded to try to help the men, who were both transported to St. George Regional Hospital but later died from their injuries.
The driver of the vehicle, a Washington City resident named Julie Budge, faces seven separate charges related to the crash, including vehicular homicide and driving under the influence. She allegedly told police that she had been on several medications related to various medical conditions — including irritable bowel syndrome, according to an affidavit filed in 5th District Court — and that she had swerved out of the driving lane after "she began to uncontrollable defecate on herself."
Budge told officers that her car died after the accident and that she could not get her vehicle to stop, according to the report, but a witness later told officers that they didn't believe she meant to stop and that she only pulled over after the witness followed her to a spot several hundred yards down the road.
Budge allegedly failed all field sobriety tests. According to the report, she told officers that she had been in the hospital the day before and had been taking Fentanyl through an IV drip.
Police asked anyone who might have witnessed the crash to who might have more information to contact investigators by calling the WCPD at 435-986-1515.
The two victims had been participating in the Spring Tour of St. George, a group ride organized by Ride Southern Utah that had drawn about 700 participants, according to organizers.
“We are gutted by the tragic and preventable death of the two cyclists whose lives were taken this weekend by someone who admittedly drove under the influence," said Jenn Oxborrow, the executive director of Bike Utah, in a written statement. “Bike lanes exist to promote safe, active transportation, allowing vehicles and bicycles to travel simultaneously in different lanes on the same roadway."
There were 846 cyclists killed on U.S. roadways in 2019, according to the National Highway Safety Transportation Association, and an estimated 50,000 pedal-cyclists are injured by motor vehicles each year.
Bike Utah encouraged Utahns to renew statewide efforts to protect cyclists and others on the roadways, issuing a press release asking people to consider joining advocacy groups and reminding motorists to never drive under the influence.
This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Cyclists call for awareness after brothers' deaths near St. George
