One dead after car fire; ramp from Bangerter Highway to northbound I-15 reopened
Jan 18, 2022, 5:28 AM | Updated: 7:18 pm
DRAPER, Utah — State troopers are investigating a car fire that left one person dead early Tuesday morning.
Sgt. Cameron Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol said the incident happened just before 3 a.m. on Bangerter Highway and it was blocking the ramp to northbound Interstate 15.
Troopers on scene told KSL’s Matt Rascon it appears the driver was speeding as it exited NB I-15 before the crash.
The road is back open.
Right now investigation shows speed was a big factor in this crash.
— Matt Rascon (@MattRasconNews) January 18, 2022
“They traveled all the way from the offramp across all lanes, then collided with the concrete barrier on the opposite side of Bangerter and then had enough momentum to continue down the onramp,” said UHP Sgt. Andrew Bollard. “So early indications are (an) extremely high rate of speed.”
Pollard described speeding as a “recent traffic trend” the department has seen a lot of, including drivers going over 100 miles an hour.
“It’s frustrating from our standpoint,” he said.
The vehicle was fully engulfed on the I-15 northbound on-ramp when emergency crews arrived
“We’re doing everything we can to try to get people to obey the speed limit, to slow down, and to be mindful of what’s going on around them,” Pollard said.
“And it’s just really unfortunate because this is otherwise an avoidable incident.”
The investigation and road closures that started around 3 a.m. cut through the morning commute – creating a headache for drivers until around 8:30 a.m. For UHP troopers the crash was another awful reminder of the dangers of speeding.
Investigators did not know what other factors may have contributed to the crash. The investigation is ongoing. UHP is notifying family members of the driver.
