Wrong-way driver crashes into truck on US 40; 3 injured

Wrong-way driver crashes into truck on US 40; 3 injured

(Marlie Zelaya)


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VERNAL — Troopers are working to find out what caused the driver of a pickup truck to cross into the wrong lane on U.S. 40 west of Vernal early Thursday and cause a crash that injured three people and snarled traffic.

About 7:50 a.m., the driver of a tan pickup truck was heading west on the highway when he crossed into the eastbound lane and continued onto the shoulder of the road, Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Beau Mason said.

As the driver pulled back onto the road, he crashed into the passenger side of a commercial pickup truck owned by Strata Networks that was traveling east on the highway, Mason said. The driver of the Strata truck tried to avoid the crash but was unable to do so, the lieutenant said.

The Strata truck ended up on its roof, while the tan pickup came to rest with the driver's side down. The two men in the Strata truck and the man driving the other truck were all wearing seat belts, Mason said.

One man in the Strata truck complained of back pain and was taken to Ashley Regional Medical Center. The driver of the tan truck and the other man in the Strata truck were also taken to the hospital as a precaution, Mason said.

The crash spread debris across all lanes of U.S. 40, bringing traffic to a near standstill until it could be rerouted onto a gravel frontage road.

As for what caused the driver of the tan truck to cross into oncoming traffic, "we're still continuing to investigate that," Mason said.

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