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SALT LAKE CITY — Slick roads and black ice led to at least 20 traffic accidents in the Salt Lake Valley and shut down part of I-15 Thursday morning.
I-15 southbound was closed for a time from 600 North to 400 South because of at least 10 crashes in that area.
Peggy Wright said she was southbound in the middle lane when a car in the left lane spun and headed straight for her. She swerved into the far right lane to avoid it.
"That's when my car slid," she said. "I, in turn, hit the cement wall, and the cement wall launched me all the way across."
She said she dialed 911 and the dispatcher told her to stay in her car.
"I could hear other cars coming behind me, and all I heard was 'clink, clink, clink.' I knew the cars were hitting," she said.
Wright said she got out of her car, hid behind a cement barrier and witnessed about 15 other crashes.
"A big 18-wheeler came and hit another small car and drug it, and sparks were flying. That car went under, then off to the side, and I knew that person was dead," she recounted. "But, to my amazement, about two minutes later, she walks out. And I'm like, 'Are you OK?' She said 'Yeah,' and the semi just kept going."
Both women stayed behind the barrier, she said.
"We just watched other cars hit until the ambulance came," Wright said.
I could hear other cars coming behind me, and all I heard was 'clink, clink, clink.' I knew the cars were hitting.
–Peggy Wright, motorist
Several other accidents were reported on the I-215 west belt route at California Avenue.
A box truck spun out and hit the median. On the other side of the freeway, a car hit ice, spun out, then hit a dry patch of road and flipped over. One person was transported to a hospital in serious condition, but the injuries were non-life threatening, according to UHP.
UHP said drivers should assume every on-ramp is icy and urged motorists to slow down.
Updates will be posted as they become available.
Get traffic updates every 10 minutes on the nines on KSL NewsRadio and check commute times on the home page of KSL.com.
Contributing: Kaitlin Loukides, Hailey Smith, Mary Richards, Peter Samore
