UHP uses triple-car crash to remind drivers of accident safety protocols

Mar 7, 2022, 10:27 AM

A single-car crash on snowy I-15 in Utah County near Pleasant Grove Boulevard on Sunday morning. Photo credit: Utah Highway Patrol

BY SIMONE SEIKALY

Digital Content Producer

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — A car crash on Sunday morning in Utah County turned into multiple crashes and near misses for first responders that were on the scene. Using these crashes as an example, the Utah Highway Patrol wants to remind drivers about road accident safety protocols.

Chain reaction crashes on I-15

The roads were slushy on Sunday morning when the first crash happened on I-15 south of the Pleasant Grove exit. The driver of a car lost control and hit the cement barrier in the far right lane.

The first car that crashed was being followed by family members in another car, who reportedly pulled over to help when they saw the accident.

Accident safety protocols

The Utah Highway Patrol said the second car to pull over was then hit by another driver that lost control on the slushy roads.

That driver got out of their vehicle, concerned that they’d hit a first responder reported KSL TV, when their car was hit by a third crash.

The Pleasant Grove Fire Department said that the third crash nearly hit a fire truck that was on the scene.

All throughout this chain-reaction event, KSL TV reported that drivers and emergency responders were standing around as cars drove by at 70- and 80-mile-per-hour speeds.

That’s why the UHP is offering Utah drivers these reminders. If you are in a crash, ask yourself:

am I okay, and,
can I move off to the exit?

If the answers are yes, then move your vehicle off to the side of the road and call 911.

But if the answers are no, the UHP reminds drivers to call 911 from inside their car. And then, stay put. And, don’t call anybody to the scene to help.

The final reminder from UHP is one that drivers hear all the time — when you see crashes in an area where you are driving, slow down and move over.