A woman struck twice and left dying in the middle of State Street has forced Murray residents and Utah officials to confront an uncomfortable truth: the intersections of 4500 South and State Street are among the most treacherous in the Salt Lake Valley. The July 31 double hit-and-run, captured on video and released by police, did not just shock the community—it underscored what state crash data and years of local complaints have long made clear.

On that late summer night, 53-year-old Kimberley Jespersen was hit by a car making a left turn from State Street onto 4500 South. She fell in the crosswalk. A pickup then swerved around the stopped vehicle and struck her again, fleeing without stopping. Both drivers left the scene. Police later released CollisionCam footage of the incident, appealing for tips from the public.

The tragedy brought renewed attention to a corridor already notorious for crashes. A Deseret News analysis of state crash records found 12 auto-pedestrian crashes at 4500 South and State between 2010 and 2016, the second-highest total in Salt Lake and Utah counties during that period. In broader crash counts, the intersection has consistently ranked among the county’s leaders. Data from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) shows that State Street through Murray is a dense cluster of collisions, stretching from Edison Street—just north of 4500 South—down through the 4500 South junction.

The reasons are not hard to see. State Street, or U.S. 89, is a six-lane highway carrying tens of thousands of vehicles daily through Murray. It intersects with 4500 South, or State Route 266, a major east-west arterial that feeds traffic from I-15 into commercial districts. Multiple lanes, high turning volumes, closely spaced driveways, and long pedestrian crossings combine to create fertile ground for rear-end, angle, and auto-pedestrian crashes.

UDOT acknowledges the tradeoffs in how the lights are timed. John Gleason, spokesperson for UDOT, told Fox13 News: “At other points in the day, it makes more sense to have that yellow caution where you only turn when it’s safe to do so…it’s left up to the driver’s discretion.” At the same time, he stressed the agency’s responsibility to adapt and “…make sure we’re always monitoring our roads, and if a traffic situation changes…we need to make those adjustments as well.”

Responsibility for the intersection lies squarely with UDOT, not necessarily the city of Murray. Because both roadways are state routes, the traffic signals, geometry and safety enhancements fall under state jurisdiction. UDOT’s Traffic Operations Center manages signal timing and can adjust phasing remotely. 

What could be done? Transportation safety experts point to well-documented countermeasures. Protected-only left-turn phases during peak hours can prevent conflicts between opposing traffic streams. Leading Pedestrian Intervals give walkers a head start before vehicles move. Raised medians or refuge islands break up long crossings and give pedestrians a safer midway point. Access management, such as consolidating driveways near the stop lines, can reduce the chaos of cars weaving in and out of businesses. High-visibility crosswalks, speed management and targeted enforcement round out the list.

Some incremental changes are already planned. UDOT’s “State Street Renewed” work, running from I-215 to 9400 South, includes resurfacing, curb repair and ADA ramp upgrades—improvements that should improve accessibility and visibility. But for Murray’s deadliest corners, the conversation is shifting toward whether larger changes, like permanent protected lefts and pedestrian priority measures, should be accelerated.

According to a UDOT crash summary table titled “Intersection Crashes at Select Signalized Intersections – 2014-2018,” the intersection of State Street and 4500 South recorded 322 crashes during that five-year span—nearly double the 176 crashes documented at State Street and 5300 South over the same timeframe. This, along with the fatal double hit-and-run on July 31, underscores the intersection’s elevated risk. Additionally, crash-mapping tools from UDOT show a dense cluster of collisions from Edison Street (just north of 4500 South) continuing through the 4500 South junction, suggesting the corridor functions more as a single hazard zone than separate signalized crossings.

Murray police are still seeking information about the drivers involved in the July 31 hit-and-run at 4500 South and State Street, urging anyone with tips to contact investigators. For residents wanting a broader view of traffic safety in the city, UDOT’s Interactive Crash Map (available at https://udps.numetric.net/utah-crash-summary#/) provide publicly accessible information regarding vehicle incidents in Murray and across Utah.

One woman was killed in a double hit-and-run at Murray’s most dangerous intersection—4500 S. State St. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals)