Officials Looking For Gravel Truck After Apparent Hit & Run
Feb 8, 2019, 7:13 PM | Updated: Feb 9, 2019, 4:13 pm
AMERICAN FORK, Utah – Officials have been looking for the truck hauling gravel in Utah County that apparently struck a Porsche on the interstate before driving off.
Orem resident Chris Haleua was looking on the bright side after escaping serious injury while driving home from work on Thursday in his 2001 Porsche.
He said the vehicle was more sentiment than muscle car.
“(I) got it used, (and have) been working with on it with my dad for a few years, trying to fix it up,” he said.
Haleua had just got onto the freeway at 500 East in American Fork to drive home when as he approached the Pleasant Grove exit.
An Orem man is lucky to have walked away from a hit and run crash with a semi truck on I-15. How the snow on the side of the freeway may have prevented him from being seriously hurt. Watch @KSL5TV at 6. pic.twitter.com/UrF5epUdCM
— Sam Penrod (@KSLsampenrod) February 9, 2019
“The gravel truck decided he needed to get off at the last minute, so that is where the impact happened,” he added.
Haleua said the rear trailer came right into his lane.
“Just seeing a lot of semi-truck wheels, I wasn’t sure if I was going to go under it. Thankfully I feel fortunate to be standing here,” he said.
Even though the car was totaled, Haleua credited the snow piled up on the side of the road for helping him to walk away.
“I love the snow for skiing, now I love it for softening the final blow with the wall,” he said.
Investigators with the Utah Highway Patrol said they want talk with the driver of the semi, to get their side of the story. For now, the case was being investigated as a hit and run.
“There’s no way he could have missed that, and the way he changed his mind from turning into my lane and going back to his original lane, it’s clear he knew something was wrong,” he said.
Haleua hoped if someone saw the crash and got the company name of the gravel truck, they’ll report it to the highway patrol.
As he gathered his belongings from what was left of his car in the wrecking yard, he said perhaps the crash will mean a new car project is in his future.
“Start from the beginning again, and try to chalk it up as more opportunity to work on cars with my dad,” said Haleua.
