SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 22, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Department of Public Safety has identified the victim killed when his car crashed into the back of a semi on Interstate 15 Thursday.
The victim is Aaron Barker, 40, of South Jordan.
The accident happened at about 11:35 p.m. near southbound I-15’s 2100 South exit.
UHP Lt. Danny Allen told Gephardt Daily at the scene that the driver of a yellow Honda Fit, now identified as Barker, hit the rear end of a semi while traveling at highway speeds.
According to Allen, “traffic was slowing down due to construction lane closures” when the driver of the Honda slammed into the back of the fully loaded semi-trailer.
“Air bags deployed, he was wearing a seatbelt, but it wasn’t enough” to save him, Allen said.
Why Barker failed to slow down was undetermined in the early stages of the investigation, Allen said, but witnesses report he did not apply brakes prior to the crash.
The driver of the semi was uninjured.
