PAROWAN — A man died Friday evening after jumping from his burning pickup truck on southbound Interstate 15 in Iron County, officials said.
According to a news release from Utah Highway Patrol, at 7:25 p.m., a white Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck was southbound on I-15 near mile marker 82, a few miles north of Parowan.
“It appeared there had been a mechanical failure under the vehicle causing a fire to enter the cab,” the release states, adding that the vehicle started to veer off the roadway to the right onto the shoulder.
“The driver jumped from the vehicle,” the statement adds.
The truck then continued to burn as it went through the area and crossed the ramp, through a fence and across a frontage road before coming to rest in a sagebrush field.
“The vehicle started multiple brush fires along its path, that were all extinguished,” the release states.
Witnesses attempted CPR on the driver, but he was pronounced dead on scene by medical personnel.
On Monday afternoon, Utah Highway Patrol released the man’s name. He was identified as 22-year-old Haritha Kahf of Butte, Montana.
Traffic was impacted, with the right lane of I-15 being closed temporarily, in addition to the frontage road.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Luis Silva said I-15 was fully opened at approximately 10:37 p.m.
Other responding agencies included Parowan City Fire Department, Paragonah Fire Department, Enoch City Police Department, Parowan Police Department and Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Updated Aug. 5, 3:08 p.m. to add photos provided by the Utah Highway Patrol and mention of responding agencies.
Updated Aug. 7, 4:45 p.m. to add the victim’s name, age and city of residence, as released by Utah Highway Patrol.
Photo Gallery
Utah Highway Patrol reported a man died after jumping out of his truck that was on fire at milepost 82 of I-15 near Parowan, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
Utah Highway Patrol reported a man died after jumping out of his truck that was on fire at milepost 82 of I-15 near Parowan, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
Utah Highway Patrol reported a man died after jumping out of his truck that was on fire at milepost 82 of I-15 near Parowan, Utah, Aug. 4, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.