Man causes 2 crashes on I-15, tries to leave scene, charges state

MURRAY — A man who is believed to have caused two crashes on I-15 while driving impaired, leaving one victim with a broken neck, now faces several criminal charges, according to prosecutors.

Tyler Cole Swanenberg, 27, of Salt Lake City, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with two counts of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a third-degree felony and a class A misdemeanor; failing to stop for an injury accident and DUI, both class A misdemeanors; drug possession and interfering with an arrest, class B misdemeanors; not having car insurance, a class C misdemeanor; and two counts of following another vehicle too closely, an infraction.

On May 20, Swanenberg was traveling at a high rate of speed on I-15 near 5300 South when he hit the rear of another vehicle, causing a woman driving the vehicle to cross two lanes of traffic and hit a retaining wall, according to charging documents. The woman was treated for minor injuries.

Swanenberg, however, continued driving northbound in the HOV lane at a high rate of speed, investigators say.

Near 3800 South, he tried passing another vehicle using the left shoulder, according to charging documents.

"Witnesses stated that Swanenberg swerved a couple of times before trying to pass (the victim) using the left shoulder," the charges state.

Swanenberg ended up hitting the rear of the other vehicle, too, which, in turn, caused the victim to hit the concrete barrier, bounce off it and cross five lanes of traffic before hitting the barrier on the right shoulder twice, according to charging documents. The driver suffered a neck fracture and as of Friday was "in a collar awaiting surgery," the charges state.

The impact also sent Swanenberg's vehicle into a spin across three lanes of traffic, coming to a stop facing the wrong way on the freeway. When Utah Highway Patrol troopers arrived, they found Swanenberg trying to leave the scene, according to prosecutors.

As troopers attempted to question Swanenberg, they noted, "he could not follow commands and had no idea where he was or what happened," and that he "had tremors in his hand, moved his mouth around as if he were swallowing something and tried to posturing up to troopers," the charges state.

Troopers attempted to retrieve whatever Swanenberg was trying to swallow, but he would not follow their commands, according to the charges. Inside his vehicle, investigators found marijuana, and Swanenberg's toxicology report showed a positive result for THC and an opioid in his system at the time of the crash, the charges state.

Troopers say because Swanenberg was convicted of impaired driving in 2016, he is subject to enhanced penalties if convicted on these new charges.

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