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TREMONTON —The Utah Highway Patrol says a 73-year-old man from Washington state may have fallen asleep behind the wheel of his SUV before a fatal rollover crash and fire on Interstate 84 not far from the Utah-Idaho state line.
Highway Patrol Lt. Lee Perry tells the Standard-Examiner of Ogden that John Applegate died in the wreck about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday about five miles east of Snowville.
The man was driving westbound near mile marker 11 when his 2007 Toyota FJ2 drifted off the road and into the median, police said. The vehicle struck a post, which went through the vehicle's gas tank and caused the SUV to catch fire.
Police said the vehicle came back across the freeway, rolling at least three times and spraying the area with gasoline and fire, until it came to rest on its roof about 100 feet from the road.
Applegate, who police say was not wearing his seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
Written by Amanda Verzello with contributions from The Associated Press.
