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SPANISH FORK CANYON -- Two people were killed when a car collided with a semitrailer up Spanish Fork Canyon Saturday.
According to Sgt. Ted Tingey with the Utah Highway Patrol, a 78-year-old Texas woman was driving a Pontiac Vibe down the canyon near Thistle Junction around 8 a.m. when she drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a semitrailer carrying brick.
The impact caused the Pontiac to spin off the road, while the semi ended up in the opposite lanes of traffic.
Tingey says the driver of the Pontiac, Patsy Clark, was flown to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in serious condition with neck and back injuries. The two people in the car with her, 52-year-old James Stanrar and 75-year-old Joyce Finley, died at the scene.
The driver of the semi, 51-year-old Lewis Capell of West Valley City, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Mountain View Hospital in Payson by ambulance.
Troopers say it appears Clark fell asleep at the wheel, causing her to drift into oncoming traffic. Everyone was wearing a seat belt with the exception of Stanrart, who was laying down in the back seat at the time of the crash.
The crash forced the closure of State Road 6 for three hours in both directions while crews cleaned up the wreckage, along with bricks that had spilled across the road.
