Snow, ice take motorists for a spin

Winter wreaked havoc on the highways Wednesday as motorists were caught in the aftermath of hundreds of crashes, slide-offs and even road closures along the Wasatch Front.

On state roads across Utah, Highway Patrol troopers responded to 235 accidents. Including city streets, officials blamed brash drivers and wintry conditions for nearly 550 accidents 70 on Orem and Provo streets and 90 in Weber County. One fatality was reported.

"I think every cop on the Wasatch Front is going nuts," Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson said Wednesday. "People are out here driving like it's June or July."

A heavy snow warning was in effect for most of the day and will continue until 11 a.m. today as a significant cold front completes its venture across the state. The chill could be felt everywhere, said National Weather Service meteorologist Brandon Smith. Even St. George dropped into the 40s.

"It hasn't been all that bad of a winter," he said. "So this sort of thing catches people off guard."

Off guard was the truth, as some commuters spent nearly three hours on the road, surpassing a usual 30-minute drive time. Roads were curdled with accidents, and snow was falling faster than crews could clear it away. The random roadways that got salted still froze and ended up as ice rinks as the day went on.

I-80 westbound in Tooele County was closed for two hours Wednesday because of slick road conditions and several crashes. Northbound I-15 from 500 South in Bountiful to Farmington was shut down for about three hours because of a series of crashes involving nearly 45 cars.

"There were about 15 separate crashes up and down there," Utah Highway Patrol trooper Jeff Nigbur said.

Among the numerous accidents Wednesday, 4-year-old Zachary Tippetts was killed on westbound I-80 near Lakepoint when his mother's vehicle lost control, Nigbur said.

"It rolled off the left side of the road and landed on its top," he said. Snow- and ice-covered roads contributed to the accident. Nigbur said the child, driver and one other passenger were not wearing seat belts.

Near Willard Bay in Box Elder County, I-15 was closed for at least an hour because of the slick road conditions. Traffic in that area was rerouted to U.S. 89, and surface streets throughout northern Utah were forced into overload.

"We had two semis jack-knifed, and they were blocking the freeway," Nigbur said. "We had multiple crashes, so we were trying to get them off the road so the plows could get through."