Dwight Davis. Photos, from left: GoFundMe and Utah Highway Patrol
EPHRIAM, Utah, Jan. 31, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — New details have been released about a man killed Friday when a vehicle hit the boat and trailer he was near after his pickup became stuck on a roadway.
The incident happened at about 7:30 p.m. Friday near mile marker 261 on State Route 89, south of Ephraim, says a statement from Utah Highway Patrol.
A Chevrolet Silverado pulling a boat on a trailer attempted to turn onto a side road. The driver almost missed the turn, but attempted it anyway, and the truck slid into a gate and became stuck, says a UHP statement.
A second vehicle assisted by pulling the Chevrolet out. The trailer was pulled onto SR-89 and was blocking the northbound travel lane.
“A passenger from the Chevrolet was on the North side of the trailer when a third vehicle was northbound on SR-89 and attempted to stop when they saw the trailer with the boat in their travel lane,” the UHP statement says.
“The third vehicle could not stop in time and hit the trailer with the boat. The trailer was then pushed into the passenger, who was on the north side of the trailer. The passenger was transported to the hospital with critical injuries. While at the hospital, the passenger who was hit by the trailer was pronounced deceased from the injuries they sustained.”
Fundraiser
The man hit was 43-year-old Dwight Davis, says a GoFundMe account that says it was posted by his sister and his widow.
“My brother Dwight Davis 43 years old, tragically passed away on Friday, Jan. 27, in a car accident near Ephraim,” the account says. “My brother and his son were towing a boat and missed their left hand turn and ended up hitting a fence and the truck and boat were jack-knifed and became stuck in a ditch.
“They called a friend to help them pull the truck out. They got the boat straightened out but it was blocking the northbound lane of state route 89. As Dwight bent over to unhook the chain from the truck, a Chevy Silverdaro hit the boat with such force that the boat flew off of the trailer and landed partially on Dwight pinning/crushing him.
“We believe based on eyewitness reports that the vehicle that hit him was not paying attention to the road, also according to driver police exchange reports the driver who struck the boat did not have insurance.”
Davis’ father died four days earlier from a heart attack, the account says, so the family is struggling with funeral expenses.
“As you can imagine, funerals are very expensive and the family of these wonderful men cannot afford it. Dwight leaves behind three children, two boys ages 23 and 19, and a daughter 13, as well as two granddaughters whom he loved very much.”
