Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- The first big storm of the season blew through the Wasatch Front Saturday. The snow and wind made for white-out conditions on the freeways and caused more than 200 problems, including one fatal crash.
All in all, Utah Highway Patrol troopers dealt with 47 accidents and numerous slide-offs and fender-benders on Utah roads.
"We've had 222 calls so far and that's between Salt Lake and Utah Counties," said Sgt. Larry Mower with the Utah Highway Patrol.
Saturday morning in Spanish Fork Canyon, troopers said a truck going too fast for the snowy conditions overshot a corner and rolled. Iris Howe of Price, 58, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two people in the car had relatively minor injuries.
"It was the way the truck rolled, and the passenger happened to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time," said Sgt. Todd Royce with the Utah Highway Patrol.
When the sun went down, more reports of crashes started coming in -- many likely due to ice. "A lot of times people are just caught unaware. They don't realize how slick the roads are really going to be," said Mower.
On Interstate 15 near 7200 South, heavy snow quickly accumulated on cars and the road. White-out conditions made driving difficult near the mouths of both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons.
At Weber State University in Ogden, officials had to stop the football game against Northern Arizona to shovel the lines on the field.
Craig Eaton had no trouble getting to work at Solitude Ski Resort early Saturday morning. It was a different story, though, when he carpooled back down to the parking lot.
"Coming down they've posted the four wheel drive or chain thing," he said.
Troopers are reminding drivers to slow down, leave extra time to get to a destination and leave extra room between vehicles.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
