A tragic incident unfolded on Interstate 84 near the Utah-Idaho border, where a 48-year-old man lost his life after being struck by two semi-trucks. The Utah Department of Public Safety reported that the man, whose identity has not been released, had his car break down a few miles away from where the crash incidentally took place on Thursday evening.
Explained by the Utah Highway Patrol, and reported by ABC4, the victim encountered a state trooper attending to a jackknifed semi-truck near milepost 4 at approximately 7:47 p.m. The trooper, after being requested by the man for a ride into town, advised him to wait by his car as the scene was processed. Defying this advice, the man began trekking down the highway. According to ABC4, the trooper reportedly asked the man to wait in his car.
The fatal accident occurred when the first semi, a Peterbilt, spotted the man too late. Despite the driver's attempt to swerve, the man was hit by the truck's side mirror and knocked to the pavement. As stated by KUTV from the Utah Department of Public Safety detailed that a second truck, also a Peterbilt, was following closely and unable to stop or see the pedestrian on the ground, resulting in additional impact.
Authorities have relayed that the pedestrian was expressly told by the trooper to stay with his vehicle until it was safe to proceed, as detailed by FOX 13, yet he continued to walk. "Instead of heeding the trooper's advice, the man walked past his disabled vehicle and continued on foot for approximately two miles before the fatal collision occurred," DPS stated.
