An 18-year-old woman was injured Monday when a piece of rebar came through the windshield of a vehicle she was traveling in on U.S. 189 near Deer Creek Reservoir.
The incident resulted in a nearly two-hour closure of the highway, causing significant traffic delays.
Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cam Roden said the vehicle was northbound on the highway just east of Deer Creek Dam when a rebar pipe came over the concrete barrier, struck the hood of the vehicle, and went through the front windshield. It impaled the woman, who was in the passenger seat, and pinned her to the seat.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the area at 2:47 p.m. The highway was closed in both directions to land a medical helicopter as they worked to free the woman.
Ultimately, the helicopter wasn’t needed, Roden said, and the woman was transported to an area hospital via ambulance. She was listed in “serious to critical condition,” he said.
The roadway was cleared, and U.S. 189 had reopened to traffic by 4:30 p.m.
As of Monday evening, troopers had no information on where the rebar may have come from.
“It is unknown whether the stake was lost from a vehicle immediately preceding the impact, or if it was previous road debris that was struck and kicked up,” says a news release from the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Investigators are looking for any information regarding the origin of the rebar pipe. Anyone who was traveling in the area Monday and might have information is being asked to contact the nonemergency Summit County dispatch line at 435-615-3600.