One Killed, One Injured in Tanker Truck Crash on Mountain View Corridor in West Valley City, UT
West Valley City, UT — January 16, 2023, one person died and another was critically injured when a tanker truck and an SUV crashed in West Valley City.
Authorities say the incident happened Monday morning on Mountain View Corridor near 3500 South. Preliminary investigation suggests only that a southbound semi-truck hauling diesel fuel collided with a westbound compact SUV for unknown reasons. After the impact the semi-truck overturned in the roadway.
The truck driver was fatally injured in the crash. The SUV driver sustained critical injuries and was transported to an area hospital.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information is currently available.
I don't expect authorities to have all the answers immediately after an accident, but clearly there's plenty more work to be done figuring out what happened here. If two vehicles on different roads crashed in a light-controlled intersection, did someone run a light? If so, who did and why? Did someone just make a mistake, or is there more to the story like poor road conditions or vehicle failures? After the impact, why did the truck overturn? Could the rollover damage have been avoided or reduced? Did that truck's safety features activate and work properly? What about the SUV's?
The point isn't to overcomplicate things or suggest I know something police don't. I just think most would agree that it's important to connect all the dots so the picture they make is clear. A few vague sentences in the news, while maybe all they could reliably report at the time, don't tell anything like the whole story. Making sure that everyone affected—both the hospitalized victim and the family of the trucker who sadly didn't survive—knows the truth should be a main priority. I just hope when all is said and done the explanation authorities come up with satisfies everyone.
