SUMMIT COUNTY and SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, March 10, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Interstate 80 was still clogged with miles of backed up traffic more than two hours after a rollover and hazardous material spill accident Wednesday afternoon.
The accident happened at about 4:30 p.m., Lt. Nick Street, Utah Highway Patrol, told Gephardt Daily.
“A pickup truck was going down the canyon westbound, and it glanced off a semi transporting hazmat. The semi driver pulled over, and thought the pickup driver would too, but he continued down the road.”
The minor collision happened at about milepost 137, and five miles down the road, near milepost 132, the pickup rolled, and diesel began spilling out, Street said.
“The diesel went down a storm drain, so that was the hazmat spill,” he said. “The Health Department came to assess it, and hazmat crews came out to begin the cleanup.”
Street said at about 6:50 p.m. he was surprised traffic was still backed up. At about 7:12 p.m., delays for travelers were estimated at 5 to 15 p.m. by the UDOT Traffic website.
No one was injured in the accident, Street said, adding impairment is being investigated as a contributing factor in the rollover.
And the semi driver whose truck was sideswiped did stop to fill out an accident report for the damage, Street said.
