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SALT LAKE CITY -- It's the first day of Spring, but apparently nobody told Mother Nature in time for the morning commute. Black ice on the roads caused several multi-vehicle crashes Tuesday morning along I-80, resulting in major delays.
Three crashes involving 8 vehicles happened within a matter of seconds westbound on I-80.
UHP Sgt. Larry Mower said that "one began to fishtail and once it did, it collided with the Suburu and then we had a chain reaction after that."
Troopers said speed and black ice are to blame for this pile-up, and several others around the Salt Lake valley this morning.
"It may not look like black ice, but it's still freezing cold out here, and any moisture on the road is going to freeze up."
One of the driver's in the I-80 crash was 17-year-old Mari Taylor. She was on her way to school when she got caught in the chaos.
"Someone hit me from behind, and hit me on the corner so it made me spin even more and I hit the black car head on," Taylor said.
Fortunately no injuries resulted from the crashes. Drivers were just emotionally rattled by the experience - this is the first crash Taylor has ever been in.
"I was like ‘Today is going to be a good day,' woke up, had a good morning , and then a car accident."
With wreckage stretched across lanes of I-80, troopers shut down several lanes of traffic causing back up that stretched to Parley's Canyon. Sgt. Mower said safety is a priority when investigating and cleaning up crashes like this - he says last year 21 troopers got hit.
"If we have close one lane we'll actually take two, just to provide a little cushion for us so we don't get hit," Sgt. Mower said.
Troopers warn drivers that when have days like today, where it's extra cold in the morning, slow down and give yourself extra following room. Just a little more distance between you and the car in front of you could mean you don't end up in a crash.
