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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol was still recovering Monday from what was a busy and disheartening weekend.
"It's been one of the worst weekends for us as a department that I can remember, probably in the history of the highway patrol," said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.
From Friday night through Sunday night, one UHP trooper was critically injured, two other patrol cars were hit, and another trooper used his car to purposely hit a wrong-way driver on the freeway.
• UHP Commissioner Keith Squires announced Monday that trooper Eric Ellsworth remained in "very critical condition" and was still "fighting for his life" with injuries he suffered when he was hit along a rural stretch of state Route 13 at 13600 North near Garland, Box Elder County. Ellsworth was attempting to slow a semitrailer because of a sagging power line about 9:45 p.m. Friday when he was hit by a 16-year-old girl driving a small passenger vehicle.
• About 11 p.m. Saturday, a UHP trooper was attending to a DUI crash on I-15 near St. George when his vehicle was hit from behind by another suspected drunken driver, according to the UHP. The trooper was out of his car at the time, but left its red-and-blue lights flashing. He had also placed emergency flares around the area.
A Ford Focus drove through the lane closure and struck the back of the patrol car. Wayde Allen Burgin, 38, of St. George, was arrested for investigation of DUI. No injuries were reported.
In 2013, Burgin was convicted of DUI and having an open container in his vehicle, according to court records. He was ordered to serve two months in jail and was placed on probation.
• About three hours later in Davis County, a trooper used his car to stop a driver going south in the northbound lanes of I-15 between Layton and Kaysville.
After troopers received reports of the wrong-way driver, one trooper began a slowdown procedure of northbound traffic. A second trooper spotted the wrong-way driver hit the center barrier but kept going.
"As the wrong-way driver approached, the trooper was able to hit the vehicle on the driver side rear panel. This caused the vehicle to spin around and become disabled," according to the UHP.
Devin Michael Pugh, 24, of Clearfield, was arrested and booked into the Davis County Jail in connection with the traffic incident. Pugh was out of custody Monday night, but he was charged in Davis County Justice Court with DUI and reckless driving, both class B misdemeanors.
• Also on Sunday, a trooper's car was hit while he was providing traffic control for emergency crews working on a vehicle fire on I-84 in Box Elder County.
"While closing the right lane, a semitruck entered into the closed lane and right shoulder. The semi impacted the rear of trooper's vehicle and narrowly missed a fire truck on scene," investigators wrote in a statement.
The trooper, who was standing outside of his vehicle, was able to move out of the way. A firefighter suffered a broken ankle during the crash. This incident happened in about the same area where Ellsworth was hit.
Royce described the mood around the UHP main headquarters on Monday as "somber."
"The events of this weekend were disheartening. It worries us, the protection of our troopers and what we can do to help that. It's very worrisome, is probably the best word for it," he said.
While Ellsworth is at the front of everyone's minds, the crashes are next, Royce said, adding that all of the crashes involving UHP troopers over the weekend were preventable, especially the DUI incidents.
He hopes the public will help the UHP educate others and spread the word to be more careful on the roads, move over a lane if they see emergency lights, and don't drink and drive.
