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HEBER CITY — A man has died after a crash near Jordanelle Reservoir, authorities said Wednesday.
The crash was first reported about 10:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 40, about one mile north of Heber City, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
A Honda Civic was traveling east and was coming down a hill toward Heber City, according to a Utah Highway Patrol news release. For an unknown reason, the driver of the car did not brake or evade a slower-moving semitruck in the right lane ahead of his car, the release states.
The Honda rear-ended the semitruck and then swerved off the left side of the road, rolling into the median, according to the release.
The driver was the only occupant of the car, according to UHP. He suffered critical injuries and was transported to Heber Valley Hospital, where he later died from his injuries, UHP said.
The driver was identified as Erick E. Villegas-Rosales, 28, of West Valley City, according to the release.
The semitruck driver was not injured, according to the news release. A tank trailer was loaded with diesel fuel, but did not leak during the crash.
UHP officials are investigating speed, distraction and failure to wear a seat belt as possible factors of the crash, the news release states.
As of 3 p.m., the crash scene had been cleared, according to UDOT. There were intermittent lane closures on each side of the highway for several hours following the crash.
