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SALT LAKE COUNTY -- Five people were taken to the hospital Thursday morning after a serious crash on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley.
It happened on U-111 near 5400 South. The crash shut down traffic on the highway for over an hour and a half, and police say it was pretty remarkable everyone involved survived.
Crews arrived at the scene around 7 a.m. to find three vehicles smashed together and debris all over the road.
Police say three men were inside an older-model blue Ford pick-up truck when the driver suddenly crossed the center line. The truck smashed into a silver Mazda SUV head-on, critically injuring the female driver inside.
"It's unknown if the vehicle was actually making a turn, or why it crossed left of center," said Lt. Kory Newbold with the West Valley City Police Department. "There is a side street here."
Soon after the first collision, another car slammed into the back of the SUV. Police say it's unknown if the driver of that car was following too close or if slick roads caused the driver to slide.
"Investigators are looking at surface conditions, as far as how slick it was, and they're doing some tests on that," Newbold said.
Police say the three men in the truck were critically injured in the crash. Their truck had no airbags to prevent them from hitting the dash.
They, along with the critically injured woman and a man from the third car, were transported by ambulance to local hospitals.
"It's a very serious crash, a lot of damage, and so we're fortunate right now that they are in critical and we didn't lose anyone," Newbold said.
Police say the man in the third car suffered minor injuries compared to the other four victims involved.
They say they plan to speak with that man right away about what happened. Investigators say they are hopeful he saw the pick-up cross the center line and can help them understand why the driver crashed.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
