This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A West Valley City man remained in critical condition Thursday, four days after he was injured in a multivehicle crash that killed another man on Interstate 215.
The condition of Juan Garcia, 46, of West Valley City, was unchanged from late Monday, when he was flown by helicopter to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, according to hospital spokesman Jess Gomez.
Meanwhile, Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Todd Johnson said troopers believe an unspecified medical condition was to blame for the accidents, triggered when Berton L. Stephens, 54, of Bountiful, drove into oncoming traffic on a southern Davis County stretch I-215 near Redwood Road 5:22 p.m. Monday.
Stephens was dead at the scene of the 5:22 p.m. Monday accident that culminated on the westbound on-ramp from Redwood Road to I-215, said UHP Cpl. Todd Johnson.
Johnson said Stephens was driving a 2004 Honda Accord northbound on I-215 when he rear-ended a 2009 Nissan Altima just before the Legacy Highway split. Stephens' vehicle sped past the Nissan and into a barrier wall, then reportedly accelerated into the highway median, up an embankment and onto westbound I-215.
Stephens' out-of-control car continued onto the westbound I-215 on-ramp from Redwood and into oncoming traffic where it collided with a 2008 Jeep Commander driven by Garcia.
The driver of the Altima was not injured.
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