Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASATCH COUNTY, Utah — A 41-year-old man suffered serious injuries after his truck rolled down a 40-foot ravine near Strawberry Reservoir early Sunday morning, police said.
Emergency crews received a report of a crash near mile marker 55 on U.S. 40 at about 5 a.m., according to Utah Highway Patrol trooper Lawrence Hopper. However, it took two hours for crews to find the wreck.
Hopper said the call came from a motorist who had been flagged down by a pedestrian that saw a 2014 Dodge Ram truck at the bottom of a ravine in the area.
He said the caller had to leave the area to find better cellphone service to place the call and both the caller and the pedestrian who saw the wreckage had left the area by the time emergency crews arrived, making the search difficult because officers did not know the exact location of the crash.
Hopper said the man that was involved in the wreck eventually climbed out of his vehicle, walked up an embankment and was able to wave down another vehicle about two hours after emergency crews began searching for the man.
The man was airlifted to Intermountain Medical Center with “serious injuries” to his legs and back, Hopper said. Hopper added the man also suffered possible internal injuries.
Hopper said the crash remains under investigation, but investigators believe fatigue may have played a factor. Investigators also believe the crash happened around 2 a.m. — five hours before the man flagged down a passing motorist.
