A baby boy died Thursday afternoon when a snowstorm in southwestern Utah caused several crashes, closed southbound lanes of Interstate 15 and brought traffic to a standstill.

Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Cameron Roden said the Orem boy, who had not been identified, was taken to a nearby hospital and died of injuries suffered after the car he was in was rear-ended by another car.

He was about a year old and strapped in a child-safety seat, Roden said.

Numerous crashes occurred after 2:30 p.m. on snow-covered southbound I-15 in Iron and Beaver counties, involving 22 vehicles, Roden said.

Seven other people were transported to hospitals in Beaver and Cedar City. Three were listed in fair condition and four suffered minor injuries, Roden said.

The chain of events began with a minor collision between a tractor-trailer and a car, Roden said.

As the two vehicles slowed to move to the side of the interstate, another tractor-trailer slammed into the first one, causing both to jack-knife and block both southbound lanes, he said.

As traffic slowed, motorists began to slide on the icy road and smash into one another, which is when the car transporting the Orem boy was hit.

Several other motorists were trapped in their cars and had to be extricated, Roden said.

Two other tractor-trailers, one carrying two fuel tanks, also collided, spilling between 100 and 200 gallons of fuel, Roden said.

Because of the crashes and fuel spill, authorities closed both lanes of southbound I-15 for about 11 miles in Beaver and Iron counties, Roden said.

Traffic was backed up for several miles. Southbound lanes reopened about 11:30 p.m., Roden said.

Troopers and search and rescue volunteers with the Beaver County Sheriff's Office rerouted traffic onto Highways 89, 21 and other roads while I-15 was closed.

To make things worse, Sheriff Cameron Noel said a herd of cattle wandered across Highway 21 as cars began moving along the alternate route, causing another minor delay.