Multi-Vehicle Crash, Including a Highway Patrol Motorcycle, Closes I-15 Sunday
According to officers, trooper J. Zilles of the Utah Highway Patrol was responding to a single vehicle accident involving a Hyundai Elentra that had crashed into the median cable barrier. When he arrived on scene he parked his police motorcycle behind the vehicle that was in the median. Another trooper, in a marked patrol car, arrived on scene and set up a short distance behind the crash to warn the approaching traffic of the crash ahead.
While officers were working to clear up the first accident, a blue Honda Odyssey from Arizona, slowed down as it came onto the crash scene was struck by a white Volvo passenger car that was following too close. Upon impact, the Honda veered off to left and struck the rear of the Hyundai from the original crash. The Volvo came to stop in the left two northbound lanes.
Within a few minutes after the second crash, a silver Dodge pickup pulling a small trailer with two four-wheelers, that failed to slow down upon passing the prior two accidents, had to veer into the median. When the driver of the pickup attempted to avoid the first crash he first hit Trooper Zilles’s motorcycle, struck a cable barrier and traveled down the cable until it struck the Hyundai from the original crash causing the trailer on the truck to twist vertical and the four-wheelers to shift.
The other vehicles’ drivers were outside of there cars talking with Trooper Zilles when his motorcycle was hit and all were able to move out of the way. No one was injured.
About 20 minutes later, as vehicles were slowing due to the prior crashes, two passenger vehicles, a red Ford Focus and a gray Hyundai Sonata, had stopped in traffic when a semi truck out of Washington was unable to stop in time and ran into the back of both vehicles.
The female driver of the Ford hit her head on the steering wheel and is the only one who suffered minor injuries. All occupants were wearing seat belts.
About 15 minutes after the accident involving the semi, a driver reported he saw the slowdown and traffic stop, but was unable to brake appropriately. He hit the median and struck the cable barrier and guardrail.
I-15 northbound was closed at exit 351 near Smith and Edwards and all traffic was diverted onto SR-89 until troopers could get the semi crash cleared.
All lanes were eventually opened by approximately 4 p.m.
