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WEBER COUNTY — A man had to be extricated from his truck by emergency personnel after hitting a bridge guardrail Tuesday.
The 38-year-old man was traveling east in a Chevrolet truck on 2700 North near 2400 West in Farr West at about 5:30 a.m. when he drifted to the side of the road, according to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said he then hit the curb and struck the Willard Canal bridge’s guardrail.
The top railing of the guardrail penetrated the engine compartment before entering the driver’s cab and coming to rest in the bed of the truck, according to investigators. The man’s right leg was injured by the guardrail.
“Fortunately, he was not impaled but was instead knocked to the side and pinned against the frame as the rail pierced the seat and continued through the cab,” a statement from the Weber County Sheriff’s Office reads.
Investigators said they believe the man may have been reaching for something inside the truck just before the accident and didn’t realize he drifted off of the road. However, the cause is still under investigation.
The man was transported to McKay-Dee Hospital in stable condition with injuries to his leg and hip after being extricated from his truck by personnel from the Weber Fire District.
A representative from the Health Department also responded to the scene to evaluate fluids from the heavily damaged truck that were leaking into the Willard Canal, according to the sheriff’s office. They are currently working to contain the spill.
Another accident in Weber County also caused traffic problems Tuesday morning. A head-on collision at about 6:22 a.m. in Marriott-Slaterville at 1900 West and 12th Street left members of one family with minor injuries.
A black Kia Spectra was approaching the light at 1900 West while traveling east when a red Chevy Aveo traveling west turned left in front of it, according to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
A 2-week-old baby and its parents were traveling in the Spectra, investigators said. The baby did not appear to have any significant injuries and was properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat in the back, they said.
“The first arriving deputies reported being relieved when they arrived on scene and could hear the sound of a crying baby because there was such severe damage to both vehicles,” a statement from the sheriff’s office reads.
The 22-year-old mother suffered a possible broken arm after being thrown into the front seat from the back because she was not wearing a seat belt, investigators said. The 25-year-old father broke his nose. He was driving the car and wearing a seat belt.
The parents and baby were taken to Ogden Regional Medical Center for treatment and were later released. The female driver of the Aveo, who is 23, was not injured.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
“These two accidents offer several good reminders to all of us,” the statement from the sheriff’s office reads. “Always pay attention to the road while you’re driving; always make sure your children are properly secured in their car seats and boosters; and always wear your seat belt.”
