2 dead after pickup truck hits cow in road near Duchesne Sunday, authorities say

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DUCHESNE — Two people died after a pickup truck hit a cow in the road and lost control Sunday evening, authorities reported.

The crash took place about 8:16 p.m. on U.S. Highway 40 about 15 miles east of Duchesne, according to a news release from the Utah Highway Patrol.

A Ford Explorer that was heading east on the highway hit a cow in the road. The driver of the Ford then got out of the truck before a Hyundai Sonata came up behind the Ford and stopped, and a backseat passenger of the Hyundai got out.

A westbound GMC pickup then came upon the cow in the road, hitting it, losing control and hitting the Ford. The GMC then hit the Ford driver and Hyundai passenger, who were both standing on the shoulder of the road.

The driver of the Ford, who was a 48-year-old Roosevelt man, died at the scene of the crash. The Hyundai passenger, a 31-year-old Vernal woman, was transported to Uintah Basin Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries.

The GMC driver was not injured, and three other people in the Hyundai were not injured, the news release said. None of the people involved in the crash were identified.

Highway 40 was closed while UHP troopers investigated the crash, but it has since been reopened. No other details about the crash were immediately available.