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A woman and a young boy died today in a rollover crash on I-15 in Provo. In total, three were ejected and four had to be extricated. It happened near the S-Curve at mile marker 266.
"It's just a tragic situation," says Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Ted Tingey.
UHP investigators say a silver Mitsubishi SUV was traveling northbound at about 7:20 this morning when the driver veered to the right. The car rebounded back onto the freeway, rolling across northbound lanes, through the median and onto the southbound lanes.
Three teens were ejected, including a 15-year-old boy who died at the scene. The other teens were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Crews had to extricate the remaining people from the vehicle. The driver of the SUV, a woman, was killed.
Tingey says troopers believe this was a family with two adults and several children. It's unclear if all the children in the SUV belong to the parents because of a language barrier, he says.
Investigators say it's possible the driver fell asleep, but it's still unknown what led to the rollover.
The crash created a large traffic snarl in both directions on I-15. Traffic was cut to one lane each direction through the accident scene, and the resulting backup stretched to Center Street in Orem for southbound lanes and the University Avenue exit on northbound I-15. Drivers reported to KSL delays of 45 minutes to an hour.
There were also two serious accidents last night. Two people were injured in a multiple-car crash in Centerville. The accident backed up traffic for a little while.
In Sunset, a motorcycle and car collided. Information regarding injuries is not available, but we're told both accidents required the help of medical helicopters.
