WEST JORDAN, Utah, Nov. 21, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A 90-year-old man has died after he entered southbound Bangerter Highway the wrong way Tuesday afternoon and caused a multi-vehicle crash.
Ronald Newsome passed away after being transported to an area hospital, West Jordan Police Department said in a tweet.
“Condolences to his family,” the tweet added.
The accident occurred in the southbound lanes near 6500 South at approximately 4 p.m., according to a tweet from the West Jordan Police Department, and the road was shut down from 6200 South to 7000 South for approximately two hours.
Officials said an elderly driver, later identified as Newsome, who may have been suffering a medical issue, turned onto southbound Bangerter Highway at 7000 South, and drove the wrong way, northbound.
The man hit a West Valley City police officer’s vehicle, then hit a minivan carrying five people head-on. One of the people in the minivan had to be extricated following the crash, officials said. When the elderly man hit the minivan, it dislodged the engine block in the man’s vehicle, officials said. Another car then hit the engine block.
Newsome, as well as the five people in the minivan, were transported to area hospitals. The other five people had non-life threatening injuries.
West Valley Police tweeted after the incident: “One of our sergeants was hit by a wrong way driver on Bangerter Highway as he passed through West Jordan on his way home after training. We are thankful to report that the sergeant is being checked out, but appears to be OK. We send our best wishes to all injured in this crash.”
Officials are working to determine whether it was, in fact, a medical issue that led to the crash.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information becomes available.
