WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Aug. 1, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was injured Sunday morning when his cruiser was hit by a pickup truck on southbound Interstate 215 West. Two people inside the pickup, a male driver and female passenger, were also injured.
The trooper was responding to reports of an auto-pedestrian incident on the highway when his vehicle was hit at 5:17 a.m. He was able to call for medical help before getting out of his cruiser and climbing over a highway retaining wall.
UHP Sgt. Michael Gordon told Gephardt Daily the trooper was taken to an area hospital and his injuries were considered not life-threatening.
The male driver was flown to the hospital by medical helicopter and reported in critical condition. The female was taken by to the hospital by ground ambulance with minor injuries.
The West Valley City Police Department will be conducting the investigation into the collision.
The southbound lanes of I-215 West are closed while crash investigators gather evidence from the accident site.
Gephardt Daily will update the story as more information is made available.
*Correction: Our article originally stated the accident happened in the northbound lanes of I-215 West. UDOT has since updated their social media pages to clarify the incident occurred in the southbound lanes.
