SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, March 27, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A man died Monday night when the Ford Expedition he was driving crashed into the concrete median on Interstate 80.
The crash occurred at 11:50 p.m., when the westbound SUV veered to the left for an unknown reason and hit the barrier, a Utah Highway Patrol news release states.
The male driver was the only person in the vehicle, and he died in the crash.
UHP Sgt. Zach Randall said at the scene that the Expedition drifted off the road, hit the median at about 900 East, and traveled another quarter-mile before coming to a stop.
He said it appeared that the Expedition was traveling at a high rate of speed.
The driver was not wearing his seat belt and was partially ejected.
Tire marks indicate that the Expedition rode partway up the median, Randall said, and the driver made contact with a road sign support.
The man’s name has not been released, pending notification of family members.
Randall said there were secondary accidents along the highway as other vehicles hit the scattered debris from the initial crash; however, no one was injured in the secondary accidents.
The highway was shut down for several hours while the Major Accident Investigation Team was on scene and the roadway was cleared.
Randall said the seat belt probably would have saved the man’s life by keeping him inside the vehicle.
“Buckle up,” Randall said. “What could have been a minor crash turned into something more serious.”
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
