SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 5, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police say a 60-year-old man who fled twice from the same hit-and-run victim ended up causing his own accidental death.
The man who later died was driving a black pickup truck near 1820 S. Bangerter Highway at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday when he hit an SUV driven by the another man, Lt. Jenn Diedrich told Gephardt Daily.
The SUV driver, alone in his vehicle, was not hurt. The SUV had minor damage, Dietrich said.
“The guy in the SUV went looking for the guy in the truck, and found him about 15 minutes later,” the lieutenant said.
The SUV driver “found the pickup driver parked, and ask basically, ‘What’s up?’ Then he noticed the guy in the truck wasn’t acting right,” Dietrich said. “So, in order to keep him from leaving, the (SUV) man tried to grab the keys.”
The pickup driver hit the gas, and his vehicle sped over a curb and across some grass before it hit the back of a semi’s trailer, which was parked and not hooked to the tractor part of the tractor trailer.
The pickup ended up crushed, underneath the trailer. Medics were called to the scene, but the pickup driver was dead, Dietrich said.
“He was the only true victim of this whole thing,” said.
Dietrich said it’s unknown what was causing the pickup driver to act oddly, and that toxicology tests may reveal if he was impaired.
The name of the dead man has not yet been released, pending family notification.
Gephardt Daily will have additional information as it becomes available.
