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CENTERVILLE -- Northbound I-15 in Davis County was closed for a couple of hours Saturday afternoon following a string of accidents near the Parrish Lane onramp in Centerville.
"I remember seeing all lanes of traffic slowing down, and I was in the second lane so I got slowed down," said driver Thomas Knight. "The next thing I remember I was out walking around the truck. I don't know what happened."
He says it was snowing and visibility was low when the crash happened around 1 p.m. That crash quickly led to four other crashes, which involved a total of 17 vehicles, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Matt Smith.
After the initial crash involving five vehicles, traffic slowed too quickly for the driver of a semi and he hit Knight's truck and two others, propelling those cars into three more.
We're lucky nobody got killed. There was significant damage and speed involved.
–Sgt. Matt Smith
Two men were taken to Lakeview Hospital with minor injuries to their back and neck, Smith said.
"We're lucky nobody got killed," Smith said. "There was significant damage and speed involved."
Nine vehicles had to be towed away.
Before the crashes, snow had stopped falling, but roads were still wet and drivers didn't slow down or observe safe following distances, Smith said. Several drivers, including the driver of a tractor-trailer transporting five vehicles, were cited for driving-related offenses.
The freeway was closed for two hours and traffic was diverted off the freeway. Drivers could re-enter at the Parrish Lane onramp or head west for Legacy Highway. At the height of backups, traffic was slowed or backed all the way to North Salt Lake.
Smith said alcohol was not a factor in the crashes.
E-mail: sgarn@ksl.com
