LINDON – Investigators think tire failure may be to blame for a fatal crash on northbound I-15, which shut down a section of the freeway for hours.
Officials say a dump truck was heading north on I-15 approaching Lindon when a tire either blew or lost tread. Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Todd Royce says the truck was in the right lane when it happened, but, it crossed all lanes and slammed into the median. Royce says, “The impact was so severe that it actually cracked the wall and moved that permanent cement wall.”The impact was so severe, Royce says the bed of the dump truck detached from the trailer and skidded across the northbound lanes.
(Photo Credit: Utah Department of Public Safety)
The driver has been identified as Allen C. Cox, who was declared dead at the scene. Now, investigators are trying to determine why the tire failed. “They had four commercial vehicle investigators there. They’ll take that and they’ll go through it with a fine-toothed comb to see if there were any other mechanical issues that might have been a factor,” Royce says.
A car heading southbound was struck by some debris, but that driver wasn’t hurt. However, given the severity of the crash, Royce says he’s surprised no one else was hurt. He says, “You had a dump truck that went from the right hand lane to clear across the left hand, then the bed of the dump truck came all the way back across those lanes. Miraculously, it didn’t hit any other vehicles.”
