Critical injury crash closes I-15 South in Murray for hours Wednesday night

SALT LAKE CITY— The Utah Department of Transportation cleared all lanes Southbound I-15 at 5300 South late Wednesday following a critical injury crash that happened shortly after 6 p.m.  Utah Highway Patrol troopers say a 15-year-old teen was transported in critical condition.  UPD spokesman Sgt. Nick Street says the 15-year-old was thrown from the vehicle.

Street says the driver, a 19-year-old, was awake and alert when troopers were talking to him.  His condition was not immediately known.  Street says the driver was attempting to maneuver around a semi-trailer and another big truck traveling the stretch of freeway through Murray.

“The driver was trying to get around a couple of semis, one may have been a dump truck, the other a pup truck from what troopers can tell.  It almost sounds like one of the trucks was trying to merge, he may have been trying to beat them.  One of the trucks hit the car, the car spun out of control.  The passenger was thrown from the car, the door ripped from the car,” says Street.

All lanes of I-15 were shut down for a few hours prior to 5400S.  The freeway was re-opened shortly after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night.