MARCH 3, 2015
SALT LAKE, UTAH
A man remained in critical condition Wednesday, the day after
his car rearended a Utah Department of Transportation maintenance truck on an
icy Interstate 80 just east of Salt Lake City.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said speed, snowy road
conditions and driver distraction all appeared to have been factors in the
crash near Lambs Canyon.
A UDOT employee — helping to clear wreckage from an earlier
traffic accident in the westbound lanes of the freeway — turned to see an
oncoming car, approaching at high speed, and jumped into the truck in an effort
to move it out of the way.
However, the car still slammed into the rear of the truck,
just after noon. The car's male driver was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital
with life-threatening injuries; the UDOT worker sustained minor injuries, Royce
said.
The crash remained under investigation.