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TAYLORSVILLE — A Sandy woman experienced what she called one of the scariest nights of her life while driving home from a Halloween party early Friday morning.
Lindy Davis was on the way home with a friend when they saw an accident unfold near I-215 and 4500 South and ran to the aid of a stranger.
Davis was entering the freeway at 4500 South when she saw another car crash and roll five or six times.
"There were sparks flying," she said. "It was one of the scariest moments of my life."
Davis thinks if she wasn't around, no one would have found the man inside the mangled car until daylight.
"Had we not left the party at the moment we left, nobody may have seen him for a while because the road is very dark," Davis said.
Thursday night to Friday morning, about 20 troopers were designated to look for drunk drivers. Col. Danny Fuhr said they took several intoxicated drivers off the road.
"A lot of the facilities that serve to patrons, the cars are in the parking lots. Taxis are taking people home," Fuhr said.
He added that troopers were aware of a lot of designated drivers, as well. UHP reports 70 percent of all fatal accidents in Utah are from not wearing a seat belt. That can be the result of impairment.
"At that moment I felt like this guy's life is in my hands," she said. "I just felt responsible that we took care of him, or whoever was in that car, because I would hope someone would do that for my family."
Davis said another man, who happened to be a nurse, spotted them trying to help and stopped. When emergency crews arrived, the man involved in the crash, who is 20 years old, was taken to a hospital. His condition was unknown but UHP Col. Danny Fuhr said he was alert and talking.
Fuhr also said the crash victim's seat belt likely saved his life. "Had he not had a seat belt, he would have been just like all of the other debris you see here on the road," he said.
Fuhr said first responders could smell alcohol on the man's breath and containers of alcohol were found at the crash site.
