Three Utah Highway Patrol cars hit during snowstorm; two troopers injured

SALT LAKE CITY — In just over 12 hours from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning, three Utah Highway Patrol vehicles were hit by cars and a semi-truck that lost control on the slick roadways.

Two troopers were injured in the crashes and were transported to hospitals with minor to moderate injuries. Both have since been released and are recovering at home.

A patrol car and SUV were hit along northbound Interstate 15 in Juab County near Nephi late Wednesday afternoon. The troopers had responded to several collisions in the area during the winter storm.

“A semi came by, lost control and that rear trailer ended up sideswiping one of our trooper’s cars,” said UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden. “That trooper was in the vehicle at that point and time and did sustain some minor to moderate injuries.”

Dashcam video showed the trooper outside his vehicle just seconds before the crash happened. The impact pushed the trooper’s car further off the side of the road.

“Shortly after that collision, we had an SUV lose control and slide into the back of one of our other trooper’s car that were on scene,” Roden said. “Luckily that trooper was not in his vehicle so there were no injuries.”

There was a police dog inside the second UHP vehicle hit in Juab County but Roden said the K-9 wasn’t injured.

The third crash involving a stopped patrol car being hit happened around 7 a.m. Thursday in Salt Lake County.

Roden said the trooper was responding to a crash on I-215 and was inside his vehicle when it was hit by a car that lost control. He was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

State troopers urged Utah drivers to slow down in winter weather, especially if there is a crash or stopped emergency vehicles in the area.

“As we look back at these crashes the majority of them are speed-related,” Roden said. “People going too fast for these conditions.”