ST. GEORGE — Three women died in crashes in Washington County and a Provo man died after his truck rolled off a mountainside trail in Utah County on Wednesday.
A chain-reaction accident led to the first death about 12:25 p.m. on southbound I-15 just south of the Washington County-Iron County line, when two semitrailer trucks and several cars crashed on icy roads, according to Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden.
No one was injured in the initial crash, but traffic was backed up about half a mile when a second wreck occurred near Black Ridge, killing Kristen Kay Taylor, 25, of Salt Lake County, Roden said.
Taylor was driving a Kia Spectra when she encountered a semitrailer that had crashed into five other vehicles that had stopped for the first wreck. A second semitrailer behind Taylor was not able to stop and collided with her car, crushing it under the first semitrailer, the trooper said.
Taylor died at the scene. An unidentified male passenger in her car suffered serious injuries to one of his arms, which may have to be amputated, Roden said.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper in St. George was responding to the I-15 crashes when his vehicle collided with a passenger car at 850 S. River Road about 12:50 p.m. Ila Jean Moore, 75, and her sister, 71-year-old Karen Gummow, were killed, said St. George Police Lt. James Van Fleet.
The vehicle the women were in was making a left turn into the parking lot of an LDS meetinghouse when the crash occurred. Van Fleet said a preliminary investigation shows the trooper was using his emergency lights and siren.
"Witnesses confirm that," the lieutenant said.
UHP Sgt. Jeff Nigbur said the trooper, Lars Gardner, who has been with UHP for three years, is "really shaken up by what's happened." The highway patrol has contacted a counselor to meet with the trooper and "get him talking," Nigbur said. Gardner was taken to a nearby hospital with neck injuries but was released later in good condition.
"Our hearts go out to the victims and families of this tragic event," Nigbur said in a press release. "The Utah Highway Patrol has met with family members and will continue to offer assistance. This was an unfortunate accident, and UHP will do everything in our power to support those who are suffering at this time."
As many as 20 vehicles may have been involved in the I-15 crashes that occurred on a two-mile stretch of the interstate. The pileups, which prompted closure of the southbound lanes for more than three hours, may have been the result of snowy conditions that created poor visibility and slick roads, authorities said.
The crash on River Road is being investigated by the St. George police.
In the Utah County incident, Christopher Goins, 34, decided to traverse the Bonneville Shoreline Trail in Provo about 5 p.m. He negotiated his pickup truck around signs warning the trail is restricted to pedestrians and bicyclists at the Slate Canyon trailhead. After heading up the steep, muddy trail, which contains a number of switchbacks, the Provo resident's truck lost traction and rolled 150 feet down the mountainside and into a parking lot where he was ejected. Goins was pronounced dead at the scene.
"If you're on a motorcycle you might be able to negotiate the trail, but he got his truck into an area he shouldn't have been and the wheels came off the roadway," Provo Police Lt. Todd Grossgebauer said. "It's unfortunate. Some bad choices or decisions were made."
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