WASATCH COUNTY, Utah, April 20, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Highway Patrol has identified two drivers killed Tuesday in a collision in Wasatch County.
The victims were Jeremy C. Pope, 46, and Hanani Aiono, 26, both from Midway.
The incident happened at about 2:28 p.m. near milepost 21 on State Route 189, near Deer Creek State Park. A 2022 Lucid Air, an electric vehicle driven by Pope, was traveling south.
“Witness testimony stated that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed just prior to the crash,” the UHP statement says.
“As the roadway curved to the right, the Lucid left its travel lane to the left. The Lucid then entered the northbound lanes. The front end of the Lucid impacted the left front end of a northbound 2004 GMC Yukon,” driven by Aiono, the statement says.
“Both vehicles came to rest off the northbound shoulder. Immediately after the crash, the Lucid caught fire and became fully engulfed in flames. Both drivers sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash.”
A Jeep Patriot and Subaru Crosstrek were also northbound in the area, and sustained damage to their vehicles during the crash with the Lucid and the Yukon, and “Both drivers of these vehicles sustained very minor injuries.”
Travel lanes were closed for 5.5 hours for the investigation and for vehicle and debris clearance. The State Bureau of Investigation and the Major Crash Investigation Team are assisting with the investigation.
