BLANDING, Utah – Three men died late Wednesday night after the pickup truck they were in rolled on State Route 276 in Blanding. It was the second triple-fatal crash the Utah Highway Patrol had responded to that day.
UHP Trooper Michael Gordon says speed was a factor in the crash, a common problem they see on more lonely highways.
“They’re less traveled with not a lot of people out there. People think that, ‘Oh, there’s probably not going to be a police officer out here watching the speed limit.’ But the roads are designed for a specific speed,” Gordon says.
That’s one of the reasons they’re urging drivers to be more careful over the 4th of July holiday.
Gordon says people can get overconfident about their abilities and miss objects in the road or other drivers.
“What if there’s a hazard up there or a stalled vehicle? If you’re traveling past the posted speed limit, yoou may not give yourself enough time to react,” Gordon says.
The UHP had already responded to another triple-fatal crash on Route 18 near St. George.
They say a man driving a Cadillac SUV crossed over the center line, side swiped a sedan, then continued driving in the opposite lane and hit another sedan head-on.
Both the Cadillac driver and the elderly couple he hit head-on were killed. The other sedan driver is in the hospital with serious injuries.
Gordon says the cause of the accident is under investigation, but he also urges people to be as aware as they can of their surroundings and where other drivers might be on the road.