Almost two dozen injured after bus crashes on I-84 in northern Utah

BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — A bus carrying over two dozen passengers crashed on Interstate 84 Monday morning, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden said the crash happened at approximately 4:30 a.m. near milepost 36, about 5 miles from the Tremonton junction with Interstate 15.

The Salt Lake Express bus was changing lanes on eastbound I-84 and lost control on the slick roadway before sliding off the road and rolling onto its side.

“It was going well until we got on the freeway,” Alek Peeples, one of 32 passengers who were on the bus said.

When the bus started shaking and turning, Peeples knew they were in trouble.

“The clear thought that hit me was just when everybody started panicking, screaming,” he said.

The Salt Lake Express bus slid off the side of the road and rolled. Peeples remembers hearing people screaming and then seeing them fall on top of each other.

“Yeah, it’s a big deal,” UHP Sgt. Brian Nelson said.

As soon as he got the call he knew they would need a big response.

“Almost every ambulance probably in the county,” he said. “They were doing the best they could. It was an amazing response from them.”

Peeples managed to get out through the emergency escape hatch with only a few scratches, but other passengers weren’t so fortunate.

Nineteen of the injured passengers were first taken to Bear River Hospital… and then the seven with more serious injuries were sent to hospitals in the Salt Lake City area.

Troopers initially received reports of 25 people — 24 passengers and the driver — on the bus; that number was later updated to 33.

Intermountain Healthcare officials said 22 people were taken to Intermountain Bear River Hospital in Tremonton. Most were evaluated and treated for minor injuries.

UHP said that most of the people have been treated and released. Only one person appears to have life-threatening injuries.

Latest info from @UTHighwayPatrol:
– Salt Lake Express bus headed from Boise to SLC
– driver overcorrected, lost control and rolled
– 33 people including driver
– 4-5 seriously injured
– 18 minor/moderate injuries
– looking at speed as a factor@KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/66IKgnMTog

— Matt Rascon (@MattRasconNews) December 12, 2022

Three or four people suffered serious to critical injuries and will be taken to larger hospitals for trauma care, officials said. Troopers said the bus was heading from Boise, Idaho to Salt Lake City.

For Peeples, it was an awful delay in his long trip home to Michigan.

“Don’t be cheap and take the Greyhound,” he said. “Make sure you get a plane ticket during the winter.”

But more than that, it’s a reminder to drivers and passengers of the dangers of winter driving.

“We know as soon as it starts snowing people are going to be going too fast and were going to be busy all day long,” Nelson said. State troopers asked drivers to slow down in slick conditions. They’re looking into how speed may have played a part in this crash.

The crash was cleared at 11 a.m., according to UHP.