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(KSL News/AP) -- A 23-year-old man rolled his car on Interstate 215 early Wednesday, got out of the vehicle and fatally shot himself, authorities said.
A witness driving north on I-215 at 2300 South overnight saw the first accident. The witness told police a man in a Toyota Corolla passed him on the interstate and then hit the median cable. The Corolla rolled and landed on its top. The 23-year-old driver then got out of his car, pulled a rifle out of the back and shot and killed himself on the interstate.
Lt. Martin Zesiger/ Utah Highway Patrol: "That the pieces we'll have to try to put together. What could have led up to this. We will try and make contact with some people, find out where he has been prior. We have some investigators who will start doing that, start tracing back his activities in the last little while, and what may have led to this type of action, to this bizarre and unusual event."
The incident occurred about 2 a.m. Northbound lanes were closed for four hours, said Trooper Jeff Nigbur, a spokesman for the Utah Department of Public Safety.
The driver, Greg Taggert, was from West Jordan, a Salt Lake City suburb.
Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash, as troopers found empty beer cans in Taggert's car.
"We're trying to track down why this happened," Nigbur said.
As troopers were clearing the scene from the first accident, a driver rubbernecking caused a second crash. That driver was rear ended. His car landed in a ditch.
When medics pulled him out he was unconscious. He was taken to a hospital.
