OREM — Winter weather wreaked havoc Monday, particularly on Utah County roads where one person died in a crash in Orem and a 17-car pileup closed northbound I-15 near Center Street in Provo.
The fatal crash occurred on the freeway near Center Street around 9:40 a.m. Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said a 37-year-old woman was driving a Nissan Sentra very slowly, or possibly had come to a stop, in the center lane of northbound I-15 when her car was rear-ended by a box truck.
The impact of the crash moved both vehicles to the far right, on-ramp lane.
The woman was taken to Timpanogos Medical Center, where she later died, Royce said. Her name was not released Monday.
The male driver suffered serious injuries to his right leg, but his condition was not considered to be life-threatening, according to Royce.
Visibility in the area was low at the time because of heavy snowfall. Police were still investigating Monday what factors contributed to the crash.
A 17-car pileup on northbound I-15 near Center Street on Provo occurred around 10 a.m. and wasn't cleared until about noon, the Utah Department of Transportation reported. "Utah County took the brunt of" snowy weather that was considered partly responsible for 35 additional crashes there besides the fatal wreck and massive pileup, Royce said.
Two of those additional crashes resulted in injuries, he said. There were also nine cars that slid off the freeway.
In Salt Lake County, 58 crashes — including five with minor injuries — were reported, as well as four slide-offs.
Tweeting out information about the crashes, the Utah Department of Public Safety urged: "Respect weather conditions and fellow commuters."
Contributing: Ben Lockhart