SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, March 26, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — One man is dead after a pileup involving 23 vehicles on Interstate 80 near Echo Junction Monday morning.
The deceased was identified later in the day as Oscar Longoria, 61, from Barling, Missouri, who was driving a 2017 Peterbuilt semi-truck out of Missouri. The majority of the vehicles involved in the incident were semi-trucks, according to a news release from the Utah Highway Patrol.
The news release said I-80Â was shut down in both directions at mile marker 172 after the incident, which happened at approximately 7:30 a.m.
As of 4:30 p.m., the eastbound lanes have reopened, the westbound lanes remain closed at mile marker 178.
AirMed was on scene to transport others that were injured, as well as multiple ambulances. One person was transported by air to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden in critical condition, two people were transported by ground ambulance to Park City with non-life threatening injuries, and 13 were transported by school bus to Coalville with minor injuries.
Later in the afternoon, UHP clarified that there were five separate crashes, with 12 commercial vehicles and two passenger cars in the first crash, then four additional crashes as a result of the first one within a half-mile span.
Roads in that area are extremely snowy and icy, officials added, and traffic will be diverted until the Utah Department of Transportation can go through the area with plows and salt.
Traffic is being diverted onto Old Echo Road.
Troopers are working through the scene and Gephardt Daily will have more information as it is made available.
The UHP is asking drivers to avoid the area and said the westbound lanes will be closed until further notice.
Echo is approximately seven miles north of Coalville.
