SUV driver killed in accident on I-84

SOUTH OGDEN — The driver of a sport utility vehicle died when his vehicle smashed into the back of a flatbed semitrailer on I-84 Friday evening, and an infant in the back seat was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The accident occurred just east of I-15.

The fully loaded semitrailer was parked "well" inside the emergency lane when a Lincoln SUV struck it while headed westbound, Utah Highway Patrol trooper Todd Johnson said.

The driver of the semitrailer, who was carrying a box truck and a Chevrolet pickup on his truck's flatbed, pulled off to adjust the straps on the load after driving just a few miles, Johnson said. "He was trying to be responsible."

But when he climbed back into his cab, the SUV hit from behind. The semitrailer driver was not injured.

The infant was in a child seat and was transported via ambulance.

Troopers aren't sure why the SUV veered into the emergency lane.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

— Jacob Hancock