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CENTERVILLE — A 15-year-old Farmington boy is dead and two other teens are in critical condition after an SUV carrying seven teenagers rolled at least twice on a rough dirt road.
Speed, the rough road and lack of seat belt use were all factors in the accident and injuries that happened around 7 p.m. Saturday, said Centerville Police Sgt. Von Steenblik.
It starts out as a fairly smooth dirt road, but it gets pretty rough. They just hit it with too much speed.
–Von Steenblik
Gabriel Hanson, 15, died at the scene when he was ejected from the rear cargo area of the 1998 Ford Explorer. A 17-year-old boy from Montana was also ejected from the rear cargo area and was transported by helicopter to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden.
A 15-year-old Farmington girl was flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City and is also in critical condition. She was not ejected but sustained head injuries from being knocked around within the vehicle, Steenblik said.
The injured teens' names have not been released. Neither Hanson nor the injured teens were wearing seat belts.
The driver and two other passengers suffered minor injuries and were transported by ambulance for medical treatment. Another passenger was only shaken up. Those four were wearing seat belts, police said.
Police say the 17-year-old female driver lost control of the vehicle while driving too fast on the unpaved road, known as the lower pipeline road, which runs between Farmington and Centerville.
"It starts out as a fairly smooth dirt road, but it gets pretty rough," Steenblik said. "They just hit it with too much speed."
Six of the teenagers were from the same area in Farmington, he said.
Because of its relatively narrow wheelbase, the 1998 Explorer tends to roll easier than later models, Steenblik said.
"It’s the old body style — the ones that are famous for rolling," he said.
Email: lbrubaker@desnews.com
