360 crashes, 1 fatality due to icy conditions from storm

RIVERDALE — A fatal car accident on I-15 near Riverdale Sunday afternoon underscored an oft-repeated request by Utah Highway Patrol when winter weather hits.

"These roads are icy. The temperature is below freezing. … Slow down and we can avoid these types of accidents," said UHP Lt. John Mitchell at the site of Sunday's incident.

Silvia Ramirez, 40, of Clearfield, was traveling south on I-15 around 4 p.m. when the pickup in front of her hit some ice and spun into the median. Ramirez hit the same patch of ice and her vehicle spun into the back of the pickup, crushing the driver side of her vehicle and killing Ramirez on impact, Mitchell said.

Sunday's accident was especially sad considering Ramirez's family situation, he said.

"From what we're gathering, she's a single mother who lost her husband about nine months ago to cancer. She has three children, 16, 14 and 12 — three boys. Right now, the troopers at the residence are there telling us that the grandmother was visiting from Mesa, Ariz., and was leaving today to go back," Mitchell said. "A very tragic story."

UHP reported nearly 360 crashes across the state, including 57 that resulted in injuries, and 239 resulting in property damage. Most of the incidents took place in Salt Lake County, according to UHP.

The storm moved in late Saturday evening, dumping several inches of snow in the Salt Lake Valley and the mountains.

About eight inches fell along the North Salt Lake bench, and seven inches fell in the Avenues, according to reports from the Salt Lake Office of the National Weather Service. Ten inches were recorded in Provo Canyon, five inches fell in Centerville and about 4.5 fell in Sandy.

The Utah Department of Transportation required semis traveling in Parley's Canyon to use chains. In Iron County, SR-143 was closed from Brian Head to Mammoth Creek due to blowing snow and high winds, and I-84 was closed at the Idaho border. It was expected to reopen at 10 a.m. Monday morning.

Troopers said to watch for ice during the commute Monday morning, and drive defensively.

"Slow it down and give yourself plenty of stopping distance in these types of conditions," UHP Sgt. Martin Turner said. "Everyone is traveling too fast. They're losing control on the roadway where the ice has built up. They're losing control on the structures, which are icy."

Owners of Utah ski resorts and their customers definitely weren't complaining about the new snow. Resorts had most of their lifts operating for Thanksgiving, and Sunday's storm delivered several inches of fresh snow.

Alta received more than eight inches, and Snowbird had at least seven.

"It's my first day and it's really fun," said Colton Chamberlain, who was skiing Sunday at Solitude. "It's really deep and good."

e-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com; jdaley@ksl.com