April 18th, 2011 | 
Author: TOOELE COUNTY, UT – A truck accident Wednesday afternoon Feb 16, trapped the semi driver in his cab section which was partially submerged in a lake in Tooele County, Utah. High winds likely caused the rollover semi crash which occurred on Interstate 80 close to the juncture with Utah State Road 196. The crash happened near the city of Grantsville on the southwest edge of the Salt Lake City metro region. The truck accident area is in the north central part of Utah, about 78 miles east of West Wendover, Nevada and about 166 miles southwest of Evanston, Wyoming.
Photo by Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune A wrecked semi truck on Interstate 80 eastbound Wednesday February 16, 2011. The semi rolled over into three or four feet of water, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. It rolled over about 12:04 p.m. near mile marker 79 in Tooele County, near State Road 196.
On Wednesday an unidentified truck driver from Salt Lake City was driving a semi trailer through Tooele County, Utah. At the time of the accident the trailer section of the semi was empty and it is thought that the driver may have just delivered his cargo.
At 12:00 noon the driver was eastbound on Interstate 80, approaching the Salt Lake City metro region. The truck accident occurred as the tractor trailer was driving near mile marker 79 on the highway, close to the juncture with UT State Road 196.
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According to police the region was experiencing extremely high winds on Wednesday and the empty trailer section of the 18 wheeler was caught by a strong gust of wind. The trailer section went off balance and pushed the semi trailer off the road to the edge of a nearby body of water.
The semi driver struggled to maintain control of the tractor trailer, but the high winds prevailed and the 18 wheeler flipped over onto its left side, crashing into the lake, which was about 3-4 feet deep. The truck accident trapped the semi driver inside the cab section which quickly filled with water. In just a few minutes the truck driver, whose legs were lodged under the seat, worked to keep his head above the rising water. The trailer section came to rest blocking one of the interstate’s eastbound lanes.
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No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.
Utah Highway Patrol and local emergency teams rushed to the scene of the overturned semi trailer. Rescue teams worked to extricate the semi driver from the watery cab section of the truck. The driver was reportedly conscious and alert during the rescue effort. Paramedics treated and stabilized the driver at the crash site and then transported him to nearby Mountain West Medical Center in the city of Tooele. The driver received non life threatening injuries in the rollover truck accident and is expected to recover.
Once the driver was freed from the partially submerged cab section, highway crews worked to get the semi trailer out of the water. Officials at the truck accident scene were concerned that diesel fuel and other motor fluids could seep into the lake and contaminate the body of water.
UHP closed a section of I-80 and diverted motorists around the site of the rollover truck accident. A temporary ban on large commercial trucks and other vehicles up to 20,000 pounds was also put in place on the area highways until the high winds died down.
No charges have been brought at this time and the police continue to investigate the truck accident.
Often times the truck company and the truck driver will be from other states other than where the accident occurred. Truck accident attorneys often times have relationships with other experienced truck accident lawyers licensed in other states. Gordon, Elias & Seely LLP are licensed in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana and Washington, DC and have informal relationships with other truck accident lawyers. Visit their UT truck accident lawyer page for more information about Utah truck accidents or call toll free 24/7 at 1.800.773.6770.
Posted in Utah Truck Accidents