Utah family is killed in California crash

A family of four from Utah was killed when their pickup lost control on I-80 and was broadsided by a truck near Sacramento, Calif.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 6:45 a.m. Sunday on the Bryte Bend Bridge above the Sacramento River. CHP officers said a pickup was towing a sports car on a trailer when it lost control and jackknifed.

The pickup hit the north side of the bridge and was hit from behind by a box truck.

The 22-year-old father, who was driving the vehicle, and his 22-year-old wife, were killed instantly. Their children, two girls ages 2 and an infant, were taken to a local hospital but later pronounced dead.

"It's unknown if it was speed, if maybe the driver was starting to fall asleep and just started to doze, or if maybe his load was just too heavy for his vehicle," CHP officer Lizz Dutton told CBS13 in Sacramento.

Images broadcast by the TV station showed CHP officers taking an infant carrier out of the wrecked pickup. CHP officers said the children were not secured in car seats when the crash occurred. The driver and passenger in the box truck were not injured.

The crash was so bad, it shut down traffic on that section of I-80 for up to five hours. The family was visiting relatives in Woodland, Calif., and were returning to Utah when the crash occurred. One news media report from California indicated the family was living in Clinton.

Because of the Columbus Day holiday, CHP dispatchers told the Deseret Morning News they were unable to respond to requests for information Monday.

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Contributing: Associated Press

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com