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SALT LAKE CITY — Every year, litter and debris cause hundreds of crashes on Utah highways.
On Wednesday, 18 members of the Salt Lake City police motorcycle squad were on a training ride on I-15. They were traveling at 65 mph when an officer struck a large chunk of metal.
The officer has a few broken bones and some road rash, but should be OK and be back to work soon, Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Roger Williams said.
Williams said the team dodged a bullet.
“The officer that survived this crash yesterday, testament to the helmet, but he’s a father of two young children,” Williams said Thursday while holding the officer’s helmet. “This could have been and probably should have been absolutely tragic, but we got lucky.”
Unfortunately, these types of things happen way too often, a lot more than most people think. Our crews are called out every day to remove debris from the highways. And believe me, we have found everything on the highway that you can imagine.
–Kevin Griffin, UDOT director of maintenance
As the summer season kicks off, AAA Utah, the Utah Department of Transportation and members of the Utah Highway Patrol want to remind everyone to secure their cargo.
Each year nationwide, there are about 25,000 accidents involving litter on state highways, including more than 700 in Utah, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
“Unfortunately, these types of things happen way too often, a lot more than most people think,” said Kevin Griffin, UDOT director of maintenance. “Our crews are called out every day to remove debris from the highways. And believe me, we have found everything on the highway that you can imagine.”
A display at The Gateway shopping center is filled with items found on Utah highways, including an entertainment center, a refrigerator, barbecue grill, recliner, toys and even a washing machine. The display will be there all weekend.
Utah has seen five deaths in the past five years related to debris on the road. On June 4, 2012, motorcyclist Royce Munns was killed when he hit a mattress in the road and crashed while traveling on I-15 in Box Elder County.
Utah Highway Patrol trooper Jack Jessop was the first to arrive at the accident.
“I rolled up to find the motorcyclist laying in the road,” Jessop said. “At first, I thought it was a pedestrian that had tried to stop and remove the mattress because the motorcycle was tangled up in the mattress so bad I didn’t even recognize it was there.”
As you travel, if you are going a great distance, pull over a couple of times and make sure those straps and ropes are still tight.
–UHP trooper Jack Jessop
The driver who dropped the mattress later came forward and was cited for failing to secure his mattress.
Jessop stressed the importance of securing cargo, whether in a truck, a flatbed or on top of a car.
“As you travel, if you are going a great distance, pull over a couple of times and make sure those straps and ropes are still tight,” he said.
Things tend to shift while the vehicle is moving and straps could become loose, Williams said.
“Then your load is unsecured and can end up on the freeway,” he said. “It can end up killing somebody, maybe a relative, maybe somebody’s dad.”
Those planning to travel with large loads can pick up a tie-down strap for free at their local AAA branch, which can be found at aaa.com/Utah.
If someone notices something fall out of their vehicle, they should call 911 right away so road crews can retrieve it safely before it causes any accidents.
“It’s dangerous for everybody else, even people in vehicles.” Williams said. “People start swerving to miss items in the roadway, and that’s when we have catastrophic accidents.”
Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc
