Utah Transit Authority failed to act on safety concerns, now one teen is dead

A concerned citizen, and Union Pacific employee called the UTA last November to voice her concerns about a sound wall that was too high for people to see oncoming trains. However, even after the second complaint, by another concerned citizen, the UTA did nothing. Now, 15-year-old Shariah Casper is dead.

“Records obtained through open records laws plus interviews show that UTA was warned at least twice about dangers at Mid-Jordan crossings that contributed to Casper’s death, but no improvements were made until after she was killed.”

Furthermore, the UTA declined to comment on the matter, citing an expected lawsuit from the slain teen’s family and claiming, in part, “that such records could include sensitive information that could harm “homeland security” if released.”