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FORT DUCHESNE, Uintah County — One man is in custody after Uintah County sheriff's officials say he drove his truck off the road Friday near Fort Duchesne, resulting in the death of his passenger.
Wayland Serawop, 46, may have been intoxicated during the wreck, according to the Uintah County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office issued a statement saying deputies responded to a wreck along with Bureau of Indian Affairs officers on Friday about 4:30 p.m. A truck was stuck on the side of the road at 7500 E. 5700 South, a deceased man was nearby, and witnesses said they'd seen the truck driver run away on foot.
Investigators believe Serawop was driving the truck south on 7500 East when it went off the right shoulder. "At some point while traveling on the shoulder," officials wrote, "the passenger in the truck fell out of the passenger door and was fatally injured." He was 37 years old.
For Immediate Release September 26, 2020 A 37 year old man is dead and another man in custody following a traffic...
Posted by Uintah County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, September 26, 2020
The vehicle reentered the roadway facing north, then drove off the right shoulder again and became stuck. Serawop tried unsuccessfully to move the vehicle and then left on foot, officials wrote; they found him in a wooded area nearby.
Serawop was arrested and booked into the Uintah County Jail on suspicion of automobile homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, DUI, and "multiple other offenses."
The deceased man's name was not released Saturday. The wreck is still under investigation.
