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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police are looking at driving under the influence as being a possible factor in a fatal crash in West Valley City last month.
On March 31, Richard Alan Learned, 76, was killed in a rollover crash at 3696 S. Redwood Road. Learned's SUV was hit by another car, causing it to roll, and Learned was partially ejected from his vehicle, police said.
The driver of the car that hit the SUV suffered minor injuries. When police questioned the 53-year-old driver, officers reported that they could smell alcohol.
"I could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from (his) breath after almost an hour had (passed)," an officer wrote in a search warrant filed in 3rd District Court.
The driver also failed sobriety tests, the warrant states. He lost his balance while listening to the officer give him instructions prior to the test, then had to use his arms to keep his balance while walking a line, according to police.
As of Monday, no charges had been filed nor arrests made pending the outcome of blood test results from the Utah State Crime Lab.
