MIDVALE — A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on State Street hit and killed an 81-year-old man on a motorcycle Tuesday morning.
Cesar Rivera Herrera, 22, was arrested for investigation of automobile homicide.
Unified police stated that the crash happened just south of the intersection of 7200 South and State Street about 5:30 a.m. A car going north in the southbound lanes hit the motorcyclist head-on, killing the rider, and then hit a second car making a right turn onto State Street, said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray.
“It’s one of the worst crashes I’ve ever seen,” Gray said of the scene.
Both speed and impairment were believed to be factors in the crash, she said.
THC was found in Herrera’s vehicle, according to a police affidavit. Arresting officers could smell alcohol on his breath, the affidavit states.
The driver of the second vehicle suffered minor injuries. The name of the deceased motorcyclist was not immediately released.
Gray said an Air Force medic on his way to work at a COVID-19 testing station in Sandy stopped and tried to save the motorcyclist’s life.
Southbound State Street at 7200 South was closed for several hours Tuesday as the crash was investigated.
