A fast-moving dust storm roared across U.S. Highway 91 near the Utah‑Idaho line on Wednesday afternoon, setting off an eight‑vehicle pileup near Cove and leaving multiple people with serious injuries. The crash shut down the highway in both directions, clogging evening traffic in Cache Valley as emergency crews and state troopers worked into the night to stabilize victims and move the damaged vehicles.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Takesha Durrant told KSL TV the dust storm kicked up around 4 p.m. on U.S. 91 and contributed to what the agency described as an eight‑vehicle collision with multiple serious injuries. The Highway Patrol said crews remained on scene assessing the wreckage while they confirmed how many people had been hurt.
Roads closed, alternate routes advised
Logan City dispatch reported that both directions of U.S. 91 were closed at mile marker 45 and urged drivers to avoid the area or use SR‑23 through Cornish as an alternate route while tow trucks and cleanup crews worked, according to KVNU. Motorists were asked to steer clear of the area until emergency teams finished triage and cleared the highway.
Crews respond across the county line
Multiple rescue units from Cache County and neighboring Franklin County, Idaho, were dispatched to the crash site, and medics triaged patients before transporting them to nearby hospitals, per KSL TV. State troopers and local fire agencies coordinated the response while investigators worked to sort out how the chain-reaction crash unfolded.
Deadly precedent for low-visibility crashes
Sudden dust storms can knock visibility down to almost nothing in a matter of seconds; similar conditions fueled a devastating pileup on I‑15 near Kanosh in July 2021 that involved more than 20 vehicles and killed eight people, according to reporting by Al Jazeera. Transportation officials urge drivers to pull completely off the roadway, turn off vehicle lights, and set the parking brake instead of trying to punch through a wall of dust, as outlined by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Utah Highway Patrol has not released the names of those involved or full condition updates. Troopers have asked drivers to avoid U.S. 91 in the affected area while the crash scene is cleared and the investigation continues, according to local dispatch reports. Travelers are urged to check Utah Highway Patrol and local traffic advisories for the latest information before heading out.
