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UINTA-WASATCH-CACHE NATIONAL FOREST — The Utah Highway Patrol is calling it a miracle.
"No fatalities. No injuries. It's an absolute miracle that there were no injuries in this particular crash," said UHP Sgt. Blaine Robbins. "I can't reiterate how lucky these people are. It's unreal. They're very, very lucky."
Heather Slack, of Eagle Mountain, was driving west on I-80 with her two children Tuesday afternoon when she tried to get into another lane away from a large tanker truck as the road curved near East Canyon.
"And then I must have really hit some ice because it shot me across, and I don't know what happened," Slack said. "I didn't know I was under the truck. And I kind of thought I was falling off a cliff. We were screaming because we could hear something, but we didn't know what."
Slack's car went underneath the tanker and was dragged approximately 200 yards before the large truck could come to a stop. During that time, Slack said she heard squealing and the sound of metal on concrete.
The car's roof was smashed. But amazingly, the crunching car formed "pockets" around Slack and her children. Slack described it as "little pods" that protected them.
No fatalities. No injuries. It's an absolute miracle that there were no injuries in this particular crash. I can't reiterate how lucky these people are. It's unreal. They're very, very lucky.
–Sgt. Blaine Robbins, UHP
Soon, the family heard the voices of emergency crews calling from the outside and fearing the worst.
"I said, 'You got to get us out here because we must have some amazing things to do because Heavenly Father totally protected me and my children today, and we're very, very blessed because of it.' We know he has a plan for us, and we have a lot to do because we're still here," she said.
Slack and her daughter and son were checked out by paramedics and released at the scene.
Robbins said the accident may have been caused by Slack going too fast for conditions. He said it was a good reminder for all motorists to slow down in the winter and be aware that black ice may exist on cold days, even if the roads look clear.
