AMERICAN FORK, Utah, May 19, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A man died on Interstate 15 at 12:51 a.m. Sunday after hitting a crash attenuator, head on.
The driver was northbound near mile marker 278 (Pioneer Crossing off-ramp) when he struck the concrete structure, also known as a crash cushion, designed to absorb energy at the time of a crash.
“For an unknown reason, the vehicle drifted right, from the left lanes and crashed into the attenuator,” a statement from Utah Highway Patrol says.
“The vehicle was a White Ram 1500 and was driven by a male. The Ram caught fire from the impact and was fully engulfed when fire and EMS arrived on scene. They suppressed the fire quickly enough to extricate the driver out of the vehicle, in serious life-threatening condition.”
The man was airlifted to a hospital, “with diminishing conditions,” the statement says.
“Hospital staff contacted investigators and advised the driver’s injuries were not survivable.”
All northbound traffic was shut down for two hours and diverted off 500 East.
