UTAH — A 23-year-old woman died over the Fourth of July weekend during a four-vehicle collision involving 10 Utahns and a wheel that separated from its axle.
The crash occurred at approximately 8:47 p.m. Friday on state Route 6 near milepost 298, about 4 miles west of Green River, according to a statement issued by the Utah Highway Patrol.
A Jeep Wrangler – driven by Patrick Giles, 43, with passenger Michael Reagan, 39, both of South Jordan – was traveling east when, for an undetermined reason, the left rear rim and tire separated from the Jeep’s axle and rolled into the westbound travel lanes, UHP officials said.
At the same time, Ryan Benson, 45, was driving west in a Ford F-150 truck with passengers Wendy Benson, 43, and two juveniles, all of whom are from Centerville.
The Ford truck was pulling a boat, and when the tire rolled into Benson’s lane, he swerved to avoid it, according to the Highway Patrol. The Ford truck then crossed the center line into oncoming traffic, impacting the driver’s door of an eastbound Honda Accord.
Officials said an eastbound Ford Focus – driven by Cameron Romig, 20, with passenger Erin Lofgren, 20, both of Midvale – traveling behind the Honda Accord then sideswiped the Ford truck.
The driver of the Honda, 23-year-old Cali Trunnell, of Paradise, is believed to have died instantly upon impact with the Ford truck, UHP officials said.
A passenger in the Honda, a 14-year-old girl, also of Paradise, suffered a broken nose and some bruises. She was transported by medical helicopter to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center.
The two occupants of the Jeep, the four occupants of the Ford truck and the two occupants of the Ford Focus were all uninjured, according to Utah Highway Patrol officials.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.
Oh my! This is awful. Condolences to the families.
Now I’m paranoid. How does one know a wheel is going to seperate from an axle? How is that prevented?
How is that prevented?
1-don’t buy any chrysler/FIAT product
2-don’t go doing half-assed mods to your axles trying to build a “rock crawler”
the will have to investigate to know if it was a factory defect or caused by something else
You’d like to hope people had more sense than to swerve into oncoming traffic like that. sadly, no…
Ladybug that’s easy . always drive in reverse and never park your car on Sundays and always look both ways before crossing the street
Got it LMBO!!!! Did you say park my car at a casino on Sunday’s? LOL
more pills, dumpster!
Have a pleasant evening. cya twomorrow !
very sad
Worse yet , that is an area that is far far from any real services ,
a near perfect example of the middle of no-where .
( at least an hour by road to any medical facilities )