1 killed, 2 injured in wrong-way crash on I-80 in Parleys Canyon
Dec 14, 2023, 5:39 AM | Updated: 8:31 am
SALT LAKE CITY — One person is dead and two were hospitalized after a wrong-way crash that temporarily closed part of Interstate 80 late Wednesday night.
Sgt. Cameron Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol said state troopers received reports of a gray pickup truck that was heading east in the westbound lanes near 1300 East in Salt Lake City around 11:24 p.m. That pickup truck then crashed into another pickup truck and an SUV in Parleys Canyon, near milepost 130.
The wrong-way driver suffered critical injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead by emergency crews on scene.
Roden said the body of the second pickup truck separated from its frame, trapping the driver inside the cab. He was hospitalized with significant injuries after he was extricated from the truck.
The driver of the SUV had minor injuries and was also taken to an area hospital. Roden said both are expected to recover.
Following breaking news out of Parley’s Canyon as troopers investigate a deadly wrong way crash.
These photos show the heavy impacts of the collision:
Troopers say the wrong way driver was headed East in the Westbound lanes of I-80, near 1300
East. @KSL5TV📸: Aubrey Shafer pic.twitter.com/9QccaOXxWX
— Karah Brackin (@kbontv) December 14, 2023
Westbound I-80 was closed for several hours into Thursday morning and traffic was diverted back eastbound. Westbound lanes have since reopened.
Third wrong-way crash in four days
State troopers on Wednesday released videos showing two wrong-way drivers, both impaired, that were intercepted by law enforcement vehicles earlier this week.
The first collision occurred on Dec. 10 on U.S. Highway 40 in Park City, where a Summit County deputy stopped a wrong-way driver.
Approximately 24 hours later, another crash took place in Ogden between a law enforcement vehicle and a car that was traveling on I-15. The car had been traveling over 100 mph and police described the driver in court documents as “highly intoxicated.”
Read more about those wrong-way crashes here.
Troopers have not said if impairment was a factor in Wednesday night’s crash.
