This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Five people were taken to the hospital following a crash Sunday afternoon east of Wendover.
A California couple was traveling east on Interstate 80 and stopped at a rest area near milepost 10, according to a Utah Highway Patrol news release. About 3 p.m., they got back on I-80, but decided to turn around and tried to use the highway median to do so, the release adds.
At the same time, the male driver of an oncoming eastbound SUV in the right lane noticed the first SUV start to merge into traffic and moved to the left lane. Instead of merging, however, the driver of the first SUV turned across both lanes in front of the second SUV, with three occupants inside, causing the crash.
A 37-year-old male passenger from the second SUV were flown to University Hospital in serious condition, according to UHP. The 69-year-old woman who had been driving the first SUV was flown to that hospital as well, but as a precaution because of the distance, the UHP reported.
Everyone else went to local hospitals by ambulance, including a 70-year-old man from the first SUV, the 34-year-old male driver of the second SUV and his 59-year-old female passenger.
Troopers cited the woman who had been driving the first SUV for failing to yield to a faster vehicle in her travel lane, the release adds.
"The Utah Highway Patrol reminds motorists to obey all traffic signs, including speed limits and that the highway medians are only for authorized vehicles to turn around," said UHP spokesman Joe Dougherty.
Earlier reports from the UHP about the crash indicated that the two drivers were critically injured.
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