SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 23, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Highway Patrol has released dashcam video that shows troopers responding to the scene of sedan-tanker collision turned raging inferno early Friday morning in Salt Lake City.
The videos capture troopers ordering drivers at about 1900 South on Interstate 15 to get back in their vehicles due to safety concerns.
UHP officials say a 17-year-old driver of a Honda sedan driving south on 1-15 at about 1:30 a.m. veered out of his lane, then overcorrected.
“This caused the vehicle to go back into the travel lanes where it struck a semi-trailer hauling 7,000 gallons of gas and 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel in a single split trailer,” a statement issued by the Utah Highway Patrol says.
“The semi-trailer caught on fire and became fully engulfed. Initially, all lanes of travel southbound, and northbound were shut down due to the flames from the trailer.”
The Gephardt Daily video, below, focuses more on the fire.
“Initially, all lanes of travel southbound, and northbound were shut down due to the flames from the trailer,” the UHP statement says. “Northbound and southbound were both shut down for approximately 20 minutes.”
Southbound lanes remained closed until mid-morning, and one lane was closed longer due to severe damage of the road. UHP later announced it was putting patches in place to reinforce the roadway, damaged by the intense heat.
A Utah Highway Patrol statement indicates that injuries to both the Honda and semi drivers were minor, and they were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
