Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NORTHERN UTAH -- Two more Utah Highway Patrol troopers were hit Tuesday during a snowstorm that hit the Wasatch Front with more of a punch than originally expected.
Both accidents were in Weber County near Riverdale Road, said UHP trooper Todd Johnson. Both were investigating separate accidents when other vehicles slid out of control and into their patrol vehicles, Johnson said.
Just before 10 a.m. Trooper James Wright was handling a crash on westbound I-84 just east of the northbound I-15 merge. He was in the right lane with his emergency lights on, when a trailer being pulled by a Ford truck slid into the rear of Wright's patrol car.
About 45 minutes later, Trooper Rachel Webb was handling a crash on northbound I-15 about a half mile north of the Riverdale Road overpass. A car changing lanes lost control and slid into Webb's patrol car. The impact spun the patrol car 180 degrees and onto the right hand shoulder.
Both troopers suffered minor injuries; One had back pain and the other had neck pain, but neither went to the hospital. The accidents mark the seventh and eighth troopers hit in Utah this year alone, surpassing the number of troopers struck in December. A total of 21 troopers were hit in 2010.
Johnson says everyone responding to a crash is at risk because too many people don't slow down and move over away from the emergency responders.
"We are dodging a bullet on that one," said Johnson. "Troopers are trained to watch their back. I think they're really watching their backs nowadays."
The storm that came into Utah from the northwestern United States Tuesday morning caught many drivers unaware. A number of slide-offs and fender benders dotted roadways, with the worst of the storm hitting the northern part of the state.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, there were a total of 64 crashes in Salt Lake County and 32 in Utah County between 12 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Heavy snow has blanketed Davis and Weber counties, where multiple accidents have caused problems all along roadways.
"There are too many crashes to count," Johnson said at noon, noting that exact crash figures would be released later.
On I-15 near I-84, an accident involving a tractor-trailer has closed two northbound lanes.
Two accidents on I-15 in the Salt Lake Valley have delays projected to last an hour or more: one at 9000 South and another around 10000 South.
On I-215 at 3700 South in West Valley City, a truck rolled and landed in the median, slowing traffic Tuesday morning.
An accident at the Point of the Mountain on I-15 has blocked the left and center northbound lanes, causing a few miles of stop-and-go delays.
On I-80, a crash near the transition to the I-215 east belt has the left eastbound lanes blocked.
The majority of accidents were caused by drivers going too fast, Johnson said.
"We plead with the public to slow down," he said.
To check live traffic updates, visit the KSL Traffic Center.
------
Story written with contributions from Pat Reavy, Anne Forester and Randall Jeppesen.
