One Dead, One Seriously Injured After Washington County Crash

KANARRAVILLE, Utah — One person was killed and another was seriously injured after a crash on Interstate 15 in Washington County.

The crash happened near milepost 40 just after 9:45 a.m. Sunday.

Officials with the Utah Highway Patrol said the driver of a Chevrolet Cruze stated he fell asleep while traveling northbound in the middle lane of I-15, which caused him to drift to the right. 

The Cruze then hit the rear tires on the driver side of a commercial vehicle, which was pulling a cargo trailer loaded with general freight, causing the Cruze to lose control.

UHP officials said the vehicle eventually came to rest in one of the travel lanes, so in order to avoid a collision, the commercial vehicle slowed down.

A Nissan Rogue failed to slow down, slamming into the back of the trailer of the commercial vehicle.

Officials said the driver of the Nissan was killed on impact, while the passenger was transported to the hospital in serious condition. The driver of the commercial vehicle was uninjured.

I-15 northbound was temporarily closed at milepost 40 while crews cleared the scene.

The left emergency lane was eventually reopened to northbound traffic, and traffic was limited to that single lane for approximately two and a half hours.

The victim’s identity has not been released.