One killed in wrong-way crash involving military bus that temporarily closed I-15 in SLC
Mar 21, 2024, 7:13 AM | Updated: Mar 24, 2024, 11:45 am
SALT LAKE CITY — A man was killed in a wrong-way crash that closed all lanes of southbound Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City Thursday morning.
Sgt. Cameron Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol said a wrong-way pickup truck crashed into a bus loaded with 22 Army ROTC cadets from Utah State University before 7 a.m.
The pickup truck driver, who was later identified as Jason Musnug, 46, of Herriman was critically injured and later died.
“This morning, one of our canine deputies was on his way home from work. He was traveling southbound,” Roden said. “He crossed into Salt Lake County when a wrong-way driver passed him in the median and crashed directly behind him.”
The bus driver, a full-time active-duty service member, suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital, according to Lt. Col. Angelique Pifer with USU’s Army ROTC. No serious injuries had been reported among the cadets on the bus, but one was taken to a hospital for stitches.
Another bus arrived and transported the cadets to Camp Williams for spring field training exercises. The cadets will return to Logan after this weekend’s exercises.
Roden said that the truck that crashed into the bus crossed over the median near 400 North over the dirt.
Troopers temporarily closed the freeway and detoured all southbound traffic off I-15 at 600 North in Salt Lake City, creating massive delays that stretched past Beck Street. I-15 fully reopened before noon Thursday.
The Utah Department of Transportation said this was the seventh wrong-way crash of the year. State troopers and the State Bureau of Investigations said they were still investigating why Musnug was traveling the wrong way.
“When you’re out driving around, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings and not be distracted by your phone to have your eyes down the roadway,” Roden said. “So, if you did see a wrong-way driver coming towards you, that you could take action to try and avoid a head-on collision with that vehicle.”
