This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 36-year-old man was killed late Sunday in South Salt Lake when a speeding stolen SUV struck his compact car and ripped the vehicle in half, police said.
The impact was so hard that the man, identified as Micheal Green, of Farmington, was ejected from his car and died at the scene, under the Interstate 80 overpass near 2400 S. State St., according to Gary Keller, spokesman for the South Salt Lake Police Department.
The BMW SUV — which was traveling south on State Street at more than 100 mph — continued moving and dragged half of the car along with it, Keller said. The car's engine and transmission came to rest in the northbound lanes of State Street and debris was scattered on all lanes for 200 feet to 300 feet, he said.
"This is probably one of worst I've seen," Keller said of the crash.
Investigators are not sure whether Green, who was the only one in the car, had just exited I-80 or was turning to get on the freeway, he said.
The two men and one woman who were in the BMW were outside of that vehicle when police arrived, Keller said. He said one of the men ran a block and a half east of the crash site but stopped and called for help due to his injuries.
The three in the SUV, all about 25 years old, were taken to a local hospital, all in serious condition with non-life threatening injuries.
Keller said there were signs Green was wearing a seat belt, but that could not be immediately confirmed because the vehicle was so badly damaged.
Also unknown is who was driving the SUV. DNA testing of the airbags might be needed to determine who was sitting where in the vehicle, according to Keller.
The stolen SUV was spotted right before the crash by a South Salt Lake police officer parked in a motel near 1400 S. State St., Keller said. While the officer was waiting for backup to arrive, the three people came out of the hotel and got into the SUV, he said.
The officer turned on his lights but the trio ignored his actions and took off, Keller said. The officer — who did not pursue the vehicle — heard the crash seconds later, at 11:54 p.m.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Green's family with funeral expenses and other bills.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC