UHP trooper intercepts wrong-way driver on I-80

TOOELE, Utah — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper stopped a driver from traveling the wrong way on Interstate 80 in Tooele County.

At approximately 2:52 p.m. Tuesday, UHP said it received reports of a wrong-way driver heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-80.

A nearby trooper spotted the car in the left lane and intercepted it, colliding head-on. UHP said the driver sustained minor injuries but the trooper was uninjured.

“This trooper had just finished his shift and was on his way home when he saw a car coming at him going the wrong way,” Gov. Spencer Cox tweeted Wednesday morning. “He knew he had one chance to protect the drivers behind him. Without hesitation he put his own life on the line. I’m grateful for heroes.”

“We pray for a quick recovery, and we are grateful and proud of his willingness to put the safety of others ahead of his own,” UHP Col. Michael Rapich added.

A third vehicle was also involved in the crash, but those details were not immediately available.

Travel was impacted in the area for several hours.