1 killed, 2 injured in wrong-way crash on I-80 in Parleys Canyon

SALT LAKE CITY — One person is dead and two were hospitalized after a wrong-way crash that temporarily closed part of Interstate 80 late Wednesday night.

Sgt. Cam Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol said state troopers received reports of a gray pickup truck that was heading east in the westbound lanes near 1300 East in Salt Lake City around 11:24 p.m. That pickup truck then crashed into another pickup truck and an SUV in Parleys Canyon, near milepost 130.

The wrong-way driver suffered critical injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead by emergency crews on scene.

Roden said the body of the second pickup truck separated from its frame, trapping the driver inside the cab. He was hospitalized with significant injuries after he was extricated from the truck.

The driver of the SUV had minor injuries and was also taken to an area hospital. Roden said both are expected to recover.

Westbound I-80 was closed for several hours into Thursday morning and traffic was diverted back eastbound. Westbound lanes have since reopened.

Third wrong-way crash in four days

State troopers on Wednesday released videos showing two wrong-way drivers, both impaired, that were intercepted by law enforcement vehicles earlier this week.

The first collision occurred on Dec. 10 on U.S. Highway 40 in Park City, where a Summit County deputy stopped a wrong-way driver

Approximately 24 hours later, another crash took place in Ogden between a law enforcement vehicle and a car that was traveling on I-15. The car had been traveling over 100 mph and police described the driver in court documents as “highly intoxicated.”

Visit KSLTV.com to read more about wrong-way crashes.