CACHE VALLEY, Utah, July 18, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A man who officials said was likely texting while driving on State Route 91 in Cache Valley was killed instantly after he hit a deer early Tuesday morning, officials said.
The driver, Gene A. Lee, 44, from Lewiston, was unrestrained, and he was ejected when his vehicle rolled, the Utah Highway Patrol said in a news release.
Lee’s red 1998 Ford Escort was traveling southbound in the left lane of two lanes of SR-91 just after 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, the news release said. The vehicle struck a deer that had already been hit by another vehicle and was still in the travel lane, just south of milepost 41.
Lee’s vehicle veered to the left, crossed the median and both northbound lanes, and left the east side of SR-91. The Escort then continued past the shoulder and into an irrigation ditch, striking an embankment and rolling.
From evidence located at the scene, it appears that Lee was distracted by texting at the time he struck the deer, officials said.
