One Killed in Fiery Runaway Truck Accident on Interstate 80 in Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City, UT — August 2, 2023, one person was killed in a multi-truck accident around 9:10 p.m. on Interstate 80 in Salt Lake City.
According to investigators, Utah Highway Patrol troopers had just adjusted a road closure so that two (instead of the original 1) lanes on I-80 WB were closed for the construction work on the bridge at 1300 East. The road closure reportedly left only 1 lane of traffic open, and the two troopers were reportedly using their vehicles as part of the road closure warnings when a westbound semi-truck traveling at "freeway speeds" drove into the lane closure.
The semi-truck allegedly knocked over several warning barrels, narrowly missed one patrol vehicle, sideswiped a pickup truck, clipped the back of another tractor-trailer, collided with a construction trailer, and caught fire. The clipped tractor-trailer reportedly jackknifed due to the collision, and the construction trailer the semi-truck struck was reportedly loaded with Epoxy Paint.
Some new sources report the semi-truck had experienced brake failure as it came down Parleys Canyon, and was driving in the emergency lane when it entered the closed-off area.
Authorities report all of the east and westbound lanes were purportedly shut down and several first responder crews came to the accident scene. Firefighters reportedly doused the fire by 9:45 p.m., but the semi-truck driver (reportedly a 38-year-old male) was pronounced deceased at the crash site due to the injuries sustained in the crash and the resulting fire.
The eastbound lanes were purportedly open around 5:15 a.m. and a single westbound lane was reportedly open around 6:30 a.m.
There are no reports of other injuries, however, authorities are continuing to investigate.
