Police release names of two drivers killed in Sunday accidents, passengers remain hospitalized

SALT LAKE CITY — Police have released the names of two women who died in unrelated traffic accidents Sunday.

Randi Byers, 26, of West Valley, was pronounced dead at the scene of a head-on collision at 3300 South and West Temple in South Salt Lake. She was traveling with a 50-year-old woman who remains in very critical condition.

Police say Byers was driving a red Cadillac when she crossed the median and struck a blue Hyundai that was stopped at the intersection. In that Hyundai were two individuals, a 16-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man, who were transported to the hospital in critical condition. The accident occurred at approximately 5:15 p.m.

South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller said Monday the two passengers in the Hyundai were in serious but stable condition. It was not yet known what caused Byers to cross into oncoming traffic. All three surviving victims were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, he said.

In a separate incident on Sunday, 30-year-old Tanya Cordova was killed when her car was struck by an SUV at 7800 South and Bangerter Highway at 6:30 a.m. The driver of the SUV told police he lost control of his vehicle while traveling north and swerved into the center lanes, where Cordova was waiting for a green light to complete the U-turn.

Four passengers in the SUV were taken to area hospitals in critical condition but on Monday, West Jordan police officer J.C. Holt said they were all expected to recover.

E-mail: benwood@desnews.com