SALT LAKE CITY — A wrong-way driver died late Saturday night in a crash at Parleys Canyon, troopers said.
About 11:41 p.m., dispatchers received multiple reports of a car driving west in eastbound lanes on I-80. Soon after, troopers learned a serious crash had occurred just three miles away from the initial calls.
The Toyota Corolla traveling west in eastbound lanes collided with a Ford F-250 towing an enclosed trailer, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. The name of the driver, who was the car’s only occupant, was not immediately released.
The driver and passenger, a man and woman, in the pickup truck escaped the vehicle “before flames fully engulfed” the passenger side, troopers said. They were both taken to area hospitals with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
Eastbound traffic on I-80 in the area was shut down for about four hours while troopers investigated the crash.
“Troopers are unsure why the Corolla was traveling westbound in eastbound lanes and are further investigating the incident. Notification to family members is still being made,” the UHP said.
