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TAYLORSVILLE — A Salt Lake man has been charged with causing a crash that seriously injured two people — one of whom now faces long-term treatment — and then running away.
Fernando Sam Salgado, 29, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with failing to stop at a serious injury accident and obstructing justice, both third-degree felonies; driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor, and two driving infractions.
On Christmas, Salgado was on 5400 South in Taylorsville driving up to 24 mph over the 45 mph speed limit when he crashed into the back of another vehicle near 3400 West, sending that car into a wooden power pole, according to charging documents.
Salgado ran from the scene, police say. A man and woman in the vehicle were flown by medical helicopter to a local hospital in critical conditions.
Police tracked down the owner of the vehicle Salgado was driving who stated that Salgado had been at his house watching movies and they had fallen asleep. When he woke up, the man said his vehicle and Salgado were gone. Salgado later called the man and told him he had been in a crash and to tell police that someone else did it, according to the charges.
The man who was driving the other car suffered a traumatic brain injury and was recently moved to a long-term care facility, the charging documents state. The woman was initially believed to have minor injuries but was recently readmitted to the hospital.
