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SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, May 18, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Two people were transported to the hospital Friday night after the motorcycle they were riding was rear-ended by a van towing a trailer on Interstate 15 near 1500 South.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Nathan Croft said traffic was slowing to a standstill on northbound I-15, when the van, coming up in the right-hand lane, was unable to stop and skidded into the motorcycle with enough force to throw the bike off to the side of the road.
The van then crashed into an SUV that was ahead of the motorcycle.
A man who was driving the motorcycle and his female passenger were both injured and were quickly transported to the hospital.
Croft said neither the man nor the woman was wearing a helmet or other protective gear. Both were thrown off the motorcycle.
The woman passenger had a compound fracture of her leg and was in serious condition.
The motorcycle’s driver was bleeding from the head, but Croft didn’t elaborate as to his specific injuries.
Officials were on scene taking measurements and collecting other details about the crash.
It was reported that the van that crashed into the motorcycle and the SUV skidded 220 feet from the point where the brakes were first deployed.
Croft expressed his concern that drivers in general are failing to leave enough traveling distance between vehicles, and this is a major factor in many highway crashes.
“The higher the speed,” he said, “the more travel distance you need.”
The Utah Driver Handbook 2014 recommends staying two seconds behind the vehicle in front of you. Many driver’s education courses recommend keeping a distance of three seconds. The distance should always be increased at higher speeds and/or under hazardous road conditions.
