7 die in weekend accidents

Rain and snow mixed with holiday traffic to create a nasty — and deadly — situation on Utah's roadways this weekend.

In all, seven people died in traffic accidents during the busy Thanksgiving travel weekend.

Blankets of snow covered highways across the state Saturday, causing traffic headaches for motorists and emergency responders. The Utah Highway Patrol reported dozens of slide-offs, rollovers and other accidents throughout the state as snow was expected to fall almost statewide until at least this morning.

In the worst accident, five people died after a van lost control and was hit broadside by an SUV. The group was traveling on U-200 near the Idaho border after spending the holiday with family in Cache Valley, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Wade Breur said.

Three people died on impact, including a toddler. A 37-year-old man and a 21-year-old man later died from injuries suffered in the accident. Survivors from the van include an infant who was in fair condition and a 30-year-old in critical condition. The family in the van was from Preston, Idaho.

Those inside the SUV suffered "very minor injuries," Breur said.

In another accident, a Washington woman died of head injuries early Saturday after the car she was driving hit a calf and rolled. Kimberly Johnson, 40, was in Logan visiting family when the accident happened along U-30 near 3200 West. Her sons, Higley, 14, and Tucker, 11, were not seriously injured in the 1:30 a.m. accident, Breur said.

Road conditions contributed to an accident that killed a Salt Lake woman Friday. Eva Birth, 69, was killed when the car her husband was driving hit a "slick or slushy spot on the road and lost control" just before noon, a Utah Highway Patrol report said.

The sedan rolled once before coming to rest on the left side of U.S. 89 a few miles south of Garden City, Rich County. Warner Birth was uninjured but two grandchildren, ages 11 and 2, were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The nasty weather caused officials to urge all drivers to stay away from U.S. 6 between Soldier Summit and Green River and on I-70 between Green River and the I-15 interchange. Breur said multiple drivers pulled over on the freeway due to whiteout conditions.

Officials also restricted a section of I-70 Saturday night between Green River and the I-15 interchange.