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DRAPER — A 72-year-old man and 28-year-old woman were critically injured in two separate crashes on I-15 Friday.
The first wreck happened at about 1:57 p.m., when a man on a motorcycle, identified as Chet Gibson of West Jordan, crashed. Gibson was traveling south on I-15 approached the Bangerter Highway off-ramp in Draper when traffic began to slow down “rapidly,” according to a written statement from the Utah Highway Patrol.
Gibson lost control of the motorcycle and was thrown off his bike. He rolled across two lanes while the motorcycle slid across all six lanes of traffic before coming to a rest against a concrete barrier, the UHP statement said.
Gibson was not wearing a helmet and was transported to Intermountain Medical Center in “extremely critical condition,” the statement said.
The crash closed down three of the six lanes of traffic as UHP investigated the scene. All lanes were reopened shortly after 5 p.m.
The second crash happened hours later in central Utah. at about 6 p.m. Friday. A UHP trooper spotted a vehicle rollover on the I-15 northbound lanes near Scipio. UHP officials said 28-year-old Johanna Scheetz of Provo was ejected from the vehicle and another occupant, identified as Patrick Gabbitas, remained in the vehicle during the rollover.
Scheetz was transported by ambulance to Central Valley Hospital in critical condition while Gabbitas was also taken to the hospital with just minor injuries, UHP said.
Officials said both Scheetz and Gabbitas gave conflicting stories on who was driving, but UHP added witnesses reported "the vehicle was driving extremely aggressively prior to the crash" and that the vehicle had passed semitruck on the right shoulder before losing control and wrecking.
Troopers are still investigating "other possible causes of the crash," UHP said.
Email: cwilliams@deseretdigital.com
