Deseret News | Accident shuts down I-15 near American Fork

Reader comments
Accident shuts down I-15 near American Fork

witness | 8:26 p.m. Sept. 4, 2008

My husband saw this accident just after it happened and said it was one of the worst he has ever seen. Emergency vehicles from all cities. He saw intense black smoke and said that it would be a miracle if the people in the SUV survived.

Local Trucker | 9:10 p.m. Sept. 4, 2008

I drove by just moments after the accident, the tanks were on a step deck flatbed semi. It appears that they hit the low bridge there just east of the 5th east exit, one of the tanks hit a vehicle which was on fire when I passed.
That low bridge has been a problem for many years, just look at it when you drive by to see all the scars on the beam. It is too bad someone is going to have to die before they take it down.

dave | 9:12 p.m. Sept. 4, 2008

Awesome!

Comments continue below

trucker | 10:15 p.m. Sept. 4, 2008

Yes its a low bridge but apparentley the driver either didn't know the hight of his load or didn't bother to get clearance from the state to move such a high load know matter what the driver is going to take the blame, rightfully so.

ahhh!! | 10:43 p.m. Sept. 4, 2008

i saw this tonight. it was unreal. i've never seen anything like it before.

Anonymous | 11:07 p.m. Sept. 4, 2008

The bridge is supposed to be removed sometime this fall. Too bad truckers ignore the height limitations and don't detour appropriately.

Jim B | 12:05 a.m. Sept. 5, 2008

The company that owns the truck is required to research the intended route and give the driver warnings and alternate routes to take to avoid this kind of problem.

marc | 8:04 a.m. Sept. 5, 2008

All the reporting by KSL was about the "Sam White Bridge". Where the heck is the Sam White Bridge. If it was the Golden Gate Bridge, then I think we would know where the accident was. Even Sam White Road. If we were told last night that the bridge was just south of the 5th East exit in AF then I could have got off the freeway in Lehi and avoided the parking lot. We did not move for 2 hours. We did have a good party on the freeway though.

Driver error | 8:13 a.m. Sept. 5, 2008

Whoever is at fault needs to get a clue. High Load warning signs point out a detour route for the loads to take yet they're still ignored. I work in the buildings along that stretch of highway and have seen three instances of such problems, and it's all driver error. Drivers should know their load heights and watch the signs, if not researching their routes out well beforehand. Agreed that the bridge needs to be removed but that's still no excuse. Imagine if a driver didn't plot the route when driving through cities; power lines and traffic lights would be downed.

Anonymous | 11:19 a.m. Sept. 5, 2008

My husband and I sat in the traffic for 2 hours last night waiting for traffic to move. I am glad no one was seriouely injured. The truck driver should have been paying attention...

Kyle | 12:11 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Wow... I drove up to the scene of the accident at 3am and the freeway was still closed even then. The accident happened at like what, 7:30? That's crazy

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3 photos

Jason Olson, Deseret News

Emergency personnel work at the scene of an accident on I-15 near American Fork, where a semi hauling two large tanks failed to make it under a bridge and lost its load, closing the freeway for several hours.

Gallery (3 photos)