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Alex Cabrero reportingA seasoned veteran for the Utah Highway Patrol is home recuperating this afternoon after being hit by a car.
It was the first time trooper Doran Denney was hit in his long career. The thing is, a couple of hours after Denney was hit, another trooper out of the same office was hit. In both cases it was because drivers were going too fast in the snow.
Denney isn't too excited about the next month and a half. He says, "I have a few things I can do, plenty of reading, computer work." But that's nothing compared to his normal work as a Utah Highway Patrol trooper. He's out of work because of a broken leg.
This past weekend, he was helping a driver who slid off Highway 30 near Tremonton. When her parents came to help, they parked right in front of Denney's car but hadn't completely gotten out of the travel lane. Denney got out of his car to tell them to move over further for safety's sake. He said, "When I turned to get back into my car--I was at the front of my car and I turned around--and in a split second I got hit, and the car that hit me was nearly stopped."
Lt. Lee Perry, with the Utah Highway Patrol, said, "He's very lucky. If the gentleman hadn't slowed down as much as he had, it could've been much more catastrophic."
Less than three hours later, in Sardine Canyon, trooper Travis Mouritsen was hit while he was sitting in his car. He suffered back and neck injuries. He will be out of work for about a week.
Just like in Denney's case, the driver was going too fast for the slippery conditions. Perry said, "He just didn't slow down enough. He thought he did, and most people think 'I've slowed down enough.' But you know, when it comes to thinking about someone's life, you gotta slow down even more."
What bothers troopers the most is that it seems like some drivers just won't slow down no matter what the weather conditions are, and they aren't sure what it's going to take to get those drivers to slow down.
Denny said, "I think they have to be involved because I've told people before you need to slow down."
Perry is just happy he didn't lose two of his guys. "The thing is, people have got to realize how dangerous it is when they hit an icy road or there are snow patches on it."
Both troopers are expected to make a full recovery. The drivers who hit them will be ticketed with driving too fast for the conditions.
