This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers suspect distracted driving as a contributing factor to a fatal rollover crash early Tuesday morning in Cache County in which the driver struck a deer.
UHP Sgt. Todd Royce said 44-year-old Gene A. Lee, of Lewiston, was driving a 1998 Ford Escort south on State Route 91, near mile post 41 and Pepperidge Farm, about 5:45 a.m. when he struck a deer that had been hit by another driver and was still in the road.
The car crossed the median and both northbound lanes, went into an irrigation ditch, struck an embankment and rolled.
Lee, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected. He was dead at the scene.
"This was a totally avoidable fatality," Royce said. "We just want to once more remind people to use their seat belts."
UHP said evidence at the scene indicated Lee was distracted by texting at the time he struck the deer.
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