A man was recovering from a critical injury Friday after a vehicle struck him in a crosswalk.

The 35-year-old man was walking south through the 600 E. 400 South intersection with the red light — and should not have been in the intersection — when a silver Dodge Durango hit him about 12:15 p.m., said Salt Lake City Police Detective Veronica Montoya.

The female driver kept going but a police officer stopped her a short distance away, Montoya said.

The man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, though as of 3 p.m. investigators had heard that he was improving.

The driver was cited for leaving the scene.

Officers had to shut down a portion of the busy intersection to investigate the scene, but it has since been reopened, Montoya said.

mmcfall@sltrib.comTwitter: @mikeypanda