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A dramatic crash and rescue Saturday along U.S. Highway 89 in Logan Canyon has highlighted safety issues with the narrow stretch of road where several state troopers said drivers commonly slide off the highway and into the Logan River.
"We know if there's a crash in the canyon and it's gone into the river, it's probably going to be [at] Mile Marker 474," Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Lee Perry said Sunday of the segment about two miles east of Rick Springs along U.S. 89 near Logan Cave.
As many as 30 vehicles have lost control at the same spot this winter, in what Perry and UHP Lt. Phil Rawlinson — who both patrol the area — said are safety problems not limited to wet weather and slippery roads. The troopers said the accident Saturday that imperiled a family of four was one of three the same day in the same spot after snow in the canyon.
Three children were saved from the icy river Saturday afternoon after 46-year-old Roger Andersen, of Logan, lost control of his Honda Accord at about 12:30 p.m. and slid off the road. As passersby looked on aghast, the car plunged down a 10-foot embankment, went into the river and landed on its top, trapping the driver's 4-year-old son, 9-year-old daughter and her 9-year-old friend underwater.
Andersen lost control when he hit his brakes as he slowed to get around a Dodge minivan that slid out of control moments before, Rawlinson said.
His car submerged, the father managed to free himself but couldn't get to the children, UHP Lt. Steve Winward said. As many as five other motorists jumped into the frigid water to help flip the vehicle over and free the children.
Rescuer Chris Willden told KUTV Channel 2 on Saturday that he saw the driver trying to get to the children but the doors wouldn't open. Willden jumped into the river and ended up firing his handgun to break the window.
"I pulled out my handgun, placed [it] next to the window, angled it up to the roof, which would have been the bottom of the river, and I fired one round to break the window," he told KUTV.
The boy wasn't breathing when he was pulled from the water, but he was resuscitated, Winward said.
Two of the children, the 4-year-old and his sister, were later flown by helicopter to Primary Children's Medical Center, he said. A hospital spokeswoman said Sunday the children spent the night in pediatric intensive care but were then listed in fair condition.
The other 9-year-old girl was treated at a Logan hospital. All three suffered from hypothermia, and the boy had also taken water into his lungs, officials said. All were expected to recover, police said.
Trooper Rawlinson said the road Saturday was snow-packed and icy. But in wintry or warm conditions, the tight turn leaves little margin for error, he said — even when drivers are driving at appropriate speeds.
"Whether it's a cable barrier or a guardrail, something needs to be done," said Rawlinson. "It just about cost that 4-year-old his life."
A Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) official said Sunday the latest accidents would spark a review of safety data and accidents patterns along the segment of road, which was resurfaced and improved during the summer. Officials will consider installation of barriers, a guardrail, improved signage and other measures, but engineers are limited by the narrowness of the road, UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo said.
"If there's anything in our power we can do to improve the safety of that road," he said, "we'll do it."