Four-wheeling and motorcycle riding took deadly turns for two people Saturday in separate accidents within several miles of each other west of Lehi.
Killed were:Marc Simons, 17, Murray.
Scott Harter, 41, Cedar Hills.
Simons died when the Jeep he was riding in tumbled down a steep dirt and shale hill, crushing him as it rolled, Utah County sheriff deputies said.
Harter was killed when a Cadillac crossed the center line of U-68 and rammed into his Honda street bike about 3 p.m., said Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Doug Miller.
The car barely missed hitting Harter's wife, Dianne, who was on her own motorcycle about 10 yards behind her husband.
Miller said James Powell, 42, Murray, was southbound on U-68, about four miles south of U-73, "watching the scenery" when his car crossed into the northbound lane, striking Harter. Both vehicles were driving under the 55-mph speed limit, Miller said. Harter, who was wearing a full-face helmet, died on arrival at American Fork Hospital, he said.
Powell could face criminal charges, Miller said. "To be fully in that lane, there's no excuse," he said.
The Jeep accident occurred about 11 a.m. when Simons and three friends were four-wheeling in the foothills along U-73 about six miles west of Lehi. Peter Griggs, 18, and Adam Longmore, 18, both of Murray, were treated for minor injuries at American Fork Hospital and released. Dax Reid, 20, of Murray, was uninjured, said county sheriff's Lt. Ron Fernstedt.
Longmore was attempting to drive the Jeep up a steep incline about 11 a.m. when he decided he couldn't make it to the top, Fernstedt said. "Apparently he got the wheel turned a little bit and it rolled," he said.
Investigators at the scene estimated the open-top Jeep CJ-5 equipped with a roll bar rolled five or six times down the 50-degree slope, covering about 100 feet. The Jeep's radio was still playing as investigators surveyed the wreckage long after the teenagers were transported to the hospital.
Simons and Greggs were riding in the back seat. Neither wore seat belts, Fernstedt said, but the vehicle was not equipped with rear seat belts. Longmore and Reid wore seatbelts in the front, he said.
Deputy Rich Healey said the roll bar probably prevented others in the Jeep from being killed.
The protective device, however, can leave people with a false sense of safety, he said.
"The commercials and ads on TV show these things going up a steep hill. It gives these kids the wrong impression," Healey said. "You don't want to put yourself in these hazardous, senseless locations."
Off-road trails crisscross the foothills west of Lehi and south of Camp Williams. But Healey said most of them are on private property. Signs posted along U-73 warn people not to trespass in the hills.