TOOELE COUNTY, Jan. 20, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified one of the two people who died in a head-on collision on Interstate 80 in Tooele County on Jan. 10.
The deceased is Melissa Evans, 39, of Salt Lake City, Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Nick Street told Gephardt Daily. The other person’s identity has yet to be confirmed by the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.
The crash occurred at approximately 5 p.m., when a Buick Enclave driven by Evans was traveling the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of I-80 at milepost 54, Utah Highway Patrol said in a news release.
The Buick collided head-on with a Tesla passenger car, and both vehicles became fully engulfed in flames.
The drivers of both vehicles died at the scene, the news release states.
A passenger in the Tesla was the only other person involved. That individual was pulled from the Tesla and flown to a Salt Lake City hospital in serious condition with compound fractures to both legs.
The eastbound lanes of I-80 at milepost 54 were closed while UHP investigated the deadly crash.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
