Footage of a serious crash involving two semi-trucks and multiple cars has been released by authorities in Utah.
The crash happened in Gransville last month. At the time, a Utah Highway Patrol officer was at the right of the road having stopped a semi-truck. It is understood that an oncoming semi-truck attempted to move over to the left lane to give space to the trooper but in the process, struck a vehicle in its blind spot and corrected back into the trooper’s SUV and semi-truck.
The body camera and dashcam of the police officer show the oncoming semi-truck hit the rear of the police SUV, pushing it into the semi that was pulled over. The semi then continued to slide down the road, flipping onto its side, and immediately caught fire.
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Immediately after the impact, Utah Highway Patrol officer Sterling Saiz immediately rushed over to the destroyed truck and a car that it hit with a fire extinguisher in hand. Saiz can be seen checking that the occupants of the vehicle hit were okay and tells them to remain inside. KSL reports that the occupants of this car were transported to hospitals but their injuries were not life-threatening.
Authorities state that it remains important to follow move-over laws in the state, even though the semi-truck driver’s attempt to move over to give the trooper space was the cause of the crash.
Saiz added that had he not have been shielded by the semi-truck he had pulled over, things could have been much worse.
“The fact is all of us probably would have been severely injured if not killed,” Saiz said. “This situation could have been so much worse.”
Blocking crash with injuries westbound I-80 near milepost 85. Two semi trucks involved, one of which rolled and caught fire. One of our troopers was also involved while on a traffic stop on the right shoulder. The trooper is not injured. All westbound lanes closed. pic.twitter.com/6PlyMEfwKD
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) March 2, 2022