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8 Are Killed as Sandstorm in Utah Causes a Highway Pileup 8 Are Killed as Sandstorm in Utah Causes a Highway Pileup
(about 5 hours later)
At least eight people, some of them children, were killed and several others were injured when a sandstorm that blinded drivers led to a pileup in southwestern Utah, state officials said on Monday.At least eight people, some of them children, were killed and several others were injured when a sandstorm that blinded drivers led to a pileup in southwestern Utah, state officials said on Monday.
The Utah Highway Patrol said it appeared that 22 vehicles were involved in the crash on Sunday afternoon “after high winds caused a sand or dust storm and impaired visibility on the roadway.”The Utah Highway Patrol said it appeared that 22 vehicles were involved in the crash on Sunday afternoon “after high winds caused a sand or dust storm and impaired visibility on the roadway.”
“No one could see, so people started stopping, and then you just get a chain reaction,” Trooper Andrew Battenfield, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said late Sunday night. “Nobody could see, and then all of a sudden, you’re slamming into a car,” he said. “It’s just a horrific situation.”“No one could see, so people started stopping, and then you just get a chain reaction,” Trooper Andrew Battenfield, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol, said late Sunday night. “Nobody could see, and then all of a sudden, you’re slamming into a car,” he said. “It’s just a horrific situation.”
Five of the eight people killed in the crash were traveling in one vehicle, the highway patrol said on Monday. Two of the others who were killed were in another vehicle and the eighth person who died was in a third vehicle, the patrol said. Five of the eight people killed in the crash were traveling in one vehicle, the highway patrol said on Monday.
They were Kortni Sawyer, 30; her children Riggins, 6, and Franki, 2; her brother-in-law Race Sawyer, who was the driver; and his son Ryder, 12, the Highway Patrol and a friend of the family said on Monday.
Ms. Sawyer’s son Blue was injured in the crash but was released from the hospital, said Mark Rueckert, a family friend who set up a GoFundMe account to help the family with expenses.
At the time of the crash, the family was returning to St. George, Utah, after a trip to the Salt Lake area with other relatives, he said. Ms. Sawyer’s husband, Mason Sawyer, was not in the crash, and was waiting for them to arrive.
“They are a very close family, a very outdoors family, always doing different activities together,’’ Mr. Rueckert said.
Two of the others who were killed were in another vehicle. They were identified as Richard Lorenzon, 51, and Maricela Lorenzon, 47, a married couple from Salt Lake City.
The eighth person who died was in a third vehicle and was identified as Cameron Valentine, 15, of Yuma, Ariz., the patrol said.
Ten people were taken to local hospitals, and three of them were in critical condition, officials said.Ten people were taken to local hospitals, and three of them were in critical condition, officials said.
The crash, which happened around 5 p.m. local time, prompted the closure of parts of Interstate 15 in Millard County, between Salt Lake City and St. George. The Highway Patrol said the road would be closed in the area for a “significant time.” The crash, which happened around 5 p.m. local time, prompted the closing of parts of Interstate 15 in Millard County, between Salt Lake City and St. George.
The names and ages of the victims were not immediately available.
Trooper Battenfield said a “microburst of wind in an area that didn’t have a lot of vegetation” kick-started the crash.Trooper Battenfield said a “microburst of wind in an area that didn’t have a lot of vegetation” kick-started the crash.
Photos shared by the Highway Patrol appeared to show the wreckage of a vehicle pinned beneath a tractor-trailer. Another image showed a red vehicle that had been severed by a different tractor-trailer.Photos shared by the Highway Patrol appeared to show the wreckage of a vehicle pinned beneath a tractor-trailer. Another image showed a red vehicle that had been severed by a different tractor-trailer.
About an hour before the crash, a severe thunderstorm in Parowan, Utah, about 90 miles southwest of the crash site, was stirring up dust and dirt, according to the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City.About an hour before the crash, a severe thunderstorm in Parowan, Utah, about 90 miles southwest of the crash site, was stirring up dust and dirt, according to the National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City.
At the time, Parowan was under a severe thunderstorm warning, and the Weather Service said winds of up to 60 miles per hour were possible.At the time, Parowan was under a severe thunderstorm warning, and the Weather Service said winds of up to 60 miles per hour were possible.
“The wind surging ahead of the storm that fell is most likely what kicked up the dust from the fields,” Sam Webber, a Weather Service meteorologist in Salt Lake City, said on Monday. “We are in a drought. All the soils are really dry. A lot of loose soil is getting kicked around in the wind and it is easy to do that when there are thunderstorms.”“The wind surging ahead of the storm that fell is most likely what kicked up the dust from the fields,” Sam Webber, a Weather Service meteorologist in Salt Lake City, said on Monday. “We are in a drought. All the soils are really dry. A lot of loose soil is getting kicked around in the wind and it is easy to do that when there are thunderstorms.”
Mr. Webber said that Utah was in its monsoon season, and that flash floods were also a concern. Mr. Webber said that Utah was in its monsoon season and that flash floods were also a concern.
“We are kind of in a pattern that is supporting daily thunderstorm activity, especially over the southern half of Utah,” he said in an interview.“We are kind of in a pattern that is supporting daily thunderstorm activity, especially over the southern half of Utah,” he said in an interview.
It was unclear whether the storm in Parowan was connected to the sandstorm in Millard County. Dust storms are not uncommon in Utah, having occurred as recently as June and April in the state. A recent study published by Brigham Young University found that, in the north-central part of the state, 90 percent of urban dust comes from dry lake beds.It was unclear whether the storm in Parowan was connected to the sandstorm in Millard County. Dust storms are not uncommon in Utah, having occurred as recently as June and April in the state. A recent study published by Brigham Young University found that, in the north-central part of the state, 90 percent of urban dust comes from dry lake beds.
Christine Hauser contributed reporting. Christine Hauser and Johnny Diaz contributed reporting.