Distracting kiss, opioids found in investigation into deadly Provo crash

PROVO — The crash that killed a young girl on University Avenue in Provo last month may have been caused by opioids, and a distracting kiss.

According to court documents, three vehicles were stopped at the light on 3700 North and University Avenue and a Pleasant Grove work vehicle was heading south at full speed, when the driver looked over at his girlfriend and kissed her hand, and the next thing he remembered was he was hit in the face by his airbag.

The impact crushed the car in front of him and killed 3-year-old Chelsea Parkinson.

A police affidavit shows the driver’s urine tested positive for opiates, including Oxycodone, at the hospital, though police did not say if that played a factor in the accident. They also found a bottle of medication typically used to treat seizure disorders in his vehicle. He has not been charged.

Read more here from the Deseret News.

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