UTAH, Aug. 9, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Highway Patrol has released a summary of the state’s fatal crashes that occurred on Saturday and Sunday, and a few numbers to show the increase in dangerous driving between 2020 and 2021.
The release follows a news conference Monday morning featuring the family of a woman who was killed in a wrong-way collision on Interstate 15 in South Salt Lake early Saturday morning. The victim, 26-year-old Angelica Gabrielle Jimenez Dhondup, had married her high school sweetheart just seven hours before her violent death in what officials say was a drunk driving incident.
The case in which Dhondup died is the second one listed below.
1 a.m. Saturday
- MP 54 I-70 westbound-A black Dodge Durango suddenly went off the road for an unknown reason. The vehicle rolled multiple times. The 37-year-old driver from Colorado was wearing her seatbelt but her injuries were too severe to survive. She died on scene. There was a male passenger in the vehicle who crawled back to the roadway to flag down help. Impairment is a possible contributor. MCIT is investigating the cause of the crash.
1:11 a.m. Saturday
- 1700 South I-15 Collector-A silver Toyota pickup was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes. It is suspected that this driver was impaired. A gray Toyota Corolla driven by a 26-year-old female (Angelica Dhondup) was traveling northbound in the left lane when a direct collision occurred. The driver, mother of three children, had just been married earlier in the day. She died from the injuries she sustained in the crash. She had a 20-year-old female passenger that survived and was transported to a local hospital. The driver of the pickup stole a vehicle from a passerby that stopped to help. Troopers were able to stop him before he could harm anyone else. There was a passenger in the pickup that fled the scene on foot but returned later. MCIT is investigating the crash.
3:30 p.m. Saturday
- MP 94 I-84 eastbound-A group of motorcyclists were traveling together. One of the riders, a 67-year-old male on a 2017 Harley Davidson, failed to negotiate a curve in the road and went off the road to the left and collided with the cable barrier. The rider died at the hospital later.
9:45 p.m. Saturday
- MP 182 US-6 eastbound-A 2008 Mazda with two occupants crossed into oncoming lanes for an unknown reason. The Mazda struck a westbound Audi head-on. The driver and passenger of the Mazda were both killed in the crash. The occupants of the Audi were transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The two females that were killed were 28 and 27 years old and their family in Columbia were notified by UHP of the crash.
9:45 a.m. Sunday
- MP 40 I-15 northbound-The driver of a gold Chevy Cruze stated he fell asleep and his vehicle drifted to the right into the rear driver side tires of a commercial vehicle pulling a cargo trailer. The Chevy lost control and came to a stop in lane two. Another commercial vehicle pulling a cargo trailer slowed down to avoid hitting the Chevy. A silver Nissan Rogue failed to slow down or stop before colliding with the rear trailer of the second commercial vehicle. The 77-year-old male driver of the Nissan was killed in the collision. A 78-year-old female passenger in the car was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
UHP Fatal Crashes in 2021: 82 (100 deaths) Statewide Fatal Crashes in 2021: 164 (188 deaths)
- 24 of these fatalities were related to speed
- 27 of these fatalities were unrestrained (four improperly restrained)
At this time, we have seen a 52% increase in fatal crashes investigated by UHP. There were 56 fatal crashes in 2020. There is a 63% increase in fatalities this year (64 deaths in 2020).
In 2021, UHP has been working tirelessly to combat these dangerous trends that affect our citizens and communities in devastating ways. The types of stops made are listed below:
- 75, 242 Speed contacts
- 8.640 Seat belt contacts
- 2,296 DUI arrests
- 2,684 speed contacts over 100 MPH
- 82 wrong-way drivers
- 24, 954 Equipment safety contacts
