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EAST CARBON, Carbon County — A FedEx truck pulling three trailers overturned Tuesday on U.S. 6, touching off two crashes that involved five cars and another semitrailer.
About 11 a.m., the driver of a FedEx semitrailer approached a line of eastbound vehicles that had stopped for a flagger in a construction zone near the junction with state Road 123, according to Utah Highway Patrol Lt. David Bennion.
The FedEx driver "wasn't paying attention," realized too late that he wasn't going to be able to stop and tried to avoid a crash by going off the shoulder of the highway, the lieutenant said.
Despite the attempt, the truck hit four cars. The FedEx driver and another FedEx employee in the truck suffered minor injuries, as did two women in separate cars. All four were taken by ambulance to the hospital, Bennion said.
The driver of a second semitrailer traveling behind the FedEx truck tried to avoid the first pileup but hit a car that hadn't been involved in the initial crash, troopers said. No injuries were reported in that crash, Bennion said.
The driver of the FedEx truck was cited for failure to obey a flagger and driving too fast for conditions, the lieutenant said. The driver of the second truck was cited for following too close, he said.
The crash temporarily closed U.S. 6 until a detour route was established. All lanes of the highway were reopened about 3 p.m.
