Icy conditions wreak havoc on N. Utah roads

NORTH SALT LAKE — Stormy wintry weather Sunday morning caused a large pileup involving 12 vehicles that closed southbound I-15 in North Salt Lake.

Traffic was routed onto I-215 for more than two hours until the accident was cleared around 10 a.m. No serious injuries were reported but one person was transported to a nearby hospital.

"Everything was happening so fast," said Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Hyer. "Between 6 and 8 a.m., we were responding to crash after crash after crash."

A UHP trooper who responded to the accident escaped injury when a car slid out of control and struck his patrol car parked in the right side emergency lane near the Main Street overpass.

The temperature dropped sufficiently overnight to cause icy roads Sunday morning after snow fell throughout the night, causing numerous accidents. UHP reported 48 accidents in Salt Lake County (seven with injuries), 13 in Davis County and four in Tooele County.

A rollover on I-80 eastbound near the Salt Lake-Tooele County line around 7:30 a.m. sent one woman to a nearby hospital in serious condition when her SUV slid off to the left and she was ejected. She was not wearing a seatbelt.

Another trooper's vehicle was struck by a car on I-215 near 700 South shortly before 7 a.m., UHP said. He was out of his car and was not injured.

"We want to remind drivers that even though the roads may appear clear, when ice is there they (the roads) can be very slick," Hyer said.

— Paul Koepp and Lana Groves