A tragic incident unfolded on the westbound side of I-80 near Saltair, where a fiery crash claimed the life of a dump truck driver on Friday. As KUTV reports, the accident occurred at 11:30 a.m. near milepost 107 when a Mazda suffered a tire blowout, causing the driver to lose control. Subsequently, the vehicle was hit by the dump truck.
After the collision, the dump truck slammed into a guardrail and tumbled down an embankment before catching fire. The driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene. The Utah Highway Patrol, as per ABC4, stated that both vehicles rolled down an embankment, which sparked the blaze.
The driver of the Mazda, identified as a 20-year-old female, was transported to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, as detailed by KUTV. The catastrophic event led to the closure of westbound lanes on I-80, causing significant traffic delays.
Efforts to clear the scene and investigate the circumstances of the crash resulted in a prolonged closure of the interstate. According to FOX 13, the Utah Highway Patrol did not anticipate reopening the westbound lanes until 3:45 p.m. that afternoon. The cause of the blowout and subsequent chain-reaction crash remains under UHP investigation.
