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KANE COUNTY, Utah, Aug. 25, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — One person died and two others were severely injured Sunday afternoon, when the pickup truck they were in went off State Route 89 and down an embankment.
The incident occurred at about 3:35 p.m. as three vehicles were southbound on SR-89 near milepost 84, south of Orderville, a Utah Highway Patrol news release says.
The third vehicle was a white pickup truck. A U-Haul truck was in the middle, and a passenger car was in front.
SR-89 has two travel lanes in that area, one in each direction. The posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour.
According to the news release, the white pickup truck moved to pass the other two vehicles in a passing zone. As it started to pass the U-Haul, the U-Haul’s driver moved left to pass the car, which forced the pickup truck off the road and down an embankment, where it rolled.
The three passengers in the rear of the pickup were not wearing seat belts and were ejected when the pickup rolled. One rear passenger died at the scene. The other two were seriously injured and were transported to the hospital by medical helicopter.
The driver and front passenger of the pickup were wearing their seat belts and had only minor injuries. They refused medical treatment.
“Given the the minimal damage to the passenger compartment, it is likely the rear passengers would have not been as severely injured and killed had they been properly restrained,” the news release says.
The driver of the U-Haul did not stop at the scene of the crash and may have been unaware that their movement forced the pickup off the road.
Utah Highway Patrol later tweeted that the U-Haul truck has been located.
