This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A man remained in critical condition Wednesday, the day after his car rearended a Utah Department of Transportation maintenance truck on an icy Interstate 80 just east of Salt Lake City.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said speed, snowy road conditions and driver distraction all appeared to have been factors in the crash near Lambs Canyon.

A UDOT employee — helping to clear wreckage from an earlier traffic accident in the westbound lanes of the freeway — turned to see an oncoming car, approaching at high speed, and jumped into the truck in an effort to move it out of the way.

However, the car still slammed into the rear of the truck, just after noon. The car's male driver was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital with life-threatening injuries; the UDOT worker sustained minor injuries, Royce said.

The crash remained under investigation.

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