Between 2001 and 2016, 34 people were killed on Utah roads in accidents involving drivers whose blood-alcohol level was between 0.05 and 0.08. The following are brief narratives of those accidents, based on reports filed with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and, in some instances, news reports.
2016
On April 15, a 21-year-old man was backing up on Chimney Rock Pass, a popular four-wheel-drive trail in Utah County, when his car slid sideways, went off the road and rolled. He was not wearing a seatbelt and died on the scene. Tests showed he had a 0.05 BAC. His license had been suspended previously.
On Nov. 26, a 24-year-old man was traveling 90 mph in an 80 mph zone at 4:03 a.m. when, while negotiating a curve, his car skidded clockwise, ran off the roadway, re-entered the roadway and rolled. There were four people in the car, one of whom was ejected through the back window and died. The driver had a 0.05 BAC and marijuana in his system.
On Nov. 7, a 26-year-old man was driving a motorcycle at 50 mph in a 35 mph zone at 2:51 a.m. along Bingham Road in Desert Hills. While negotiating a curve, the bike skidded and rolled. He was not wearing a helmet. Police determined he was traveling too fast for the conditions and was under the influence. Blood tests showed he had a 0.07 BAC and also “unknown narcotics” in his system. He died six days later.
2015
On March 7, an 87-year-old woman was traveling 55 mph in a 40 mph zone on State Road 48 and the Interstate 15 ramp at 10:30 a.m. The car ran off the roadway, hit a curb, crossed the median and ran head-on into an unspecified obstacle, striking five other cars in the process. The driver and the 85-year-old passenger lived. The driver of the second car struck, a 55-year-old man, died on the scene. Blood tests showed the elderly driver had a 0.074 BAC.
On Aug. 14, a 57-year-old man was driving his pickup on State Road 190, a two-lane road in Big Cottonwood Canyon. He was traveling 10 mph in a 15 mph zone when he was blinded by the sunlight, ran off the roadway and rolled his truck. Tests showed the driver had a 0.07 BAC, as well as marijuana and another unspecified drug in his system.
2014
On Aug. 23, a 36-year-old woman failed to yield when making a turn at a four-way intersection on State Road 172 and 6200 South at 10:46 p.m., colliding with a car traveling straight. The first car then hit a motorcycle. The 24-year-old female passenger on the motorcycle, who was not wearing a helmet, died. Blood tests showed the driver of the first car had a 0.05 BAC. The driver of the motorcycle, a 23-year-old man, also had a 0.05 BAC.
2012
On Jan. 5, a 43-year-old woman driving on Grant Avenue in Ogden at 4:58 p.m. went off the roadway, hit a parked car and then hit a tree. She died about 50 minutes later. Blood tests showed she had a 0.06 BAC and methamphetamine in her system.
On Sept. 22, a 21-year-old man was driving a Hummer with five passengers in it in Weber County. One of the passengers, a 22-year-old man, either fell or jumped out of the cargo area and was killed. Tests showed the driver’s BAC was 0.07 and he was charged with alcohol impairment.
On Oct. 26, a 45-year-old male driver crossed the centerline of State Road 88 in Uintah County and had a head-on collision with an oncoming car at 4:58 p.m. The driver died on the scene. Blood tests showed his BAC was 0.06 and he also had amphetamine and marijuana in his system. His license was suspended at the time of the crash and had been suspended once before.
2011
On Jan. 28, a 21-year-old woman was driving 90 mph in a 60 mph zone at 3 a.m. when she ran off the roadway while going around a curve, then hit a concrete barrier and a parked vehicle. Her car went airborne, hit a traffic sign, rolled down an embankment and ended up immersed in shallow water. She died eight hours later. Her BAC was 0.06.
On Aug. 20., a 56-year-old man was traveling 55 mph on a 35 mph section of State Road 68 near Santaquin, when he ran off the right side of the road while going through a curve and was thrown from his motorcycle. He was not wearing a helmet and was killed. Blood tests showed a 0.07 BAC.
On Dec. 3., a 29-year-old man was traveling 90 mph in a 45 mph zone at 4:04 p.m. in Kearns when his nitrous-powered vehicle spun out, went off the road, became airborne, hit a wall, then a fence and another object before crashing into a building. Blood tests showed a 0.07 BAC and marijuana in his system.
On Oct. 28, a 37-year-old man was driving a car at a four-way intersection in South Sale Lake at 11:16 p.m. when his car was rear-ended. One of the five occupants in the car died. The driver of the car that caused the collision had a 0.08 BAC and was distracted by her 3-year-old child.
2010
On March 14, a 19-year-old man was traveling 60 mph on a 45 mph stretch of 12th Street in Ogden at 4:13 a.m. when he crossed the centerline, ran off the roadway, and hit a tree and then a wall, causing the car to burst into flames. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and died. Tests showed his BAC was 0.07.
2009
On March 15, a 41-year-old man was ejected after he drove off Creek Bench Road, hit an embankment and rolled at 1:35 a.m. None of the other five passengers was killed. The driver had a BAC of 0.06 and also had marijuana in his system.
On April 10, a 45-year-old man crossed the median of State Road 9 at 3:06 p.m., collided with another vehicle and rolled. The driver died. Neither person in the other car was killed. The driver of the first car had a BAC of 0.07.
On Aug. 31, a 25-year-old woman ran off the roadway at 8:42 p.m., overcorrected, crossing the road and hitting an embankment, then a fence. The car was traveling 75 mph in a 55 mph zone. A 24-year-old passenger in the car was killed. The driver had a 0.05 BAC, according to tests.
On Aug. 30, a 17-year-old male driver hit a concrete traffic barrier and rolled the vehicle at 7:30 a.m., killing the driver, a 13-year-old passenger and a 19-year-old passenger. Blood tests showed the driver had a 0.06 BAC and also tested positive for methamphetamine.
On Oct. 27, a 21-year-old man was traveling 80 mph, the posted speed limit, at 1:48 a.m. on Interstate 15 when he ran off the roadway, hit a pole and rolled the car. The driver, who died in the crash, had a BAC of 0.05.
On Oct. 17, a 35-year-old man was driving 73 mph in a 40 mph zone during a road rage incident. The car collided with another vehicle, killing the driver of the first car, who was not wearing a seatbelt and had a 0.07 BAC.
2008
A 32-year-old woman failed to yield while turning and was broadsided by another car at 4:10 p.m. A 37-year-old passenger who was not wearing a seatbelt was ejected from the car and died. Police said the woman was “emotional” at the time of the crash. Blood tests showed she had a 0.06 BAC.
2007
On April 7, a 25-year-old man was driving an ATV at 12:30 a.m. on Kane Creek Road in Moab. He was traveling 30 mph in a 25 mph zone when he rolled the vehicle, killing one of two other passengers on the ATV. The driver of the ATV had a BAC of 0.07.
On May 30, a 36-year-old man was driving a heavy truck at 4:50 a.m. when he made an improper lane change, ran off the road and rolled the truck. The driver lived, but a 23-year-old passenger died. Police attributed the crash to drowsy driving, overcorrecting and driving under the influence. The driver had a 0.07 BAC.
On June 30, a 23-year-old man was traveling 70 mph on a 50 mph stretch of State Road 189, near milepost 209, at 11:27 p.m. when he went off the road and rolled the car. The driver and a 15-year-old male passenger, who was not wearing a seatbelt, were killed. The driver had a BAC of 0.05. Police attributed the crash to speed, erratic driving and driving under the influence.
On June 4, a 24-year-old man rolled his car on Farmington County Road, a dirt road, at 8:59 p.m. The driver lived, but a 34-year-old male passenger died. The driver had a 0.07 BAC and had a canceled license.
2006
On July 2, a 31-year-old woman failed to yield and collided with a car at 3100 South and 8000 West at 10:20 p.m. The driver of the second vehicle was killed. Police attributed the accident to failure to yield, driving on the shoulder and driving too fast. The driver of the first vehicle had a BAC of 0.06.
2003
On June 22, a 26-year-old male driver was traveling 90 mph in a 75 mph section of Interstate 80 at 5:21 p.m. when he collided head-on with another car and rolled. The driver of the first car, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected and died. A 30-year-old female passenger was ejected from the side window and also died. The driver of the second vehicle lived. The first driver had a BAC of 0.06 and a suspended license.
On Aug. 22, a 16-year-old male driver was fleeing from police, traveling at 75 mph, when he rolled his Jeep negotiating a curve on Interstate 15. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle and died. He had a 0.05 BAC and did not have a license.
On Nov. 21, a 45-year-old woman was driving 97 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 15 when she failed to negotiate a curve, going off the road and striking a tree and a parked vehicle. She was partially ejected through the side door of the car and died on the scene. Her BAC was 0.06.
2002
On Feb. 27, a 20-year-old man was driving on 300 West in Salt Lake County at 12:03 a.m. when he hit a concrete traffic barrier and died. The driver had a BAC of 0.05 and unspecified drugs in his system.
On Oct. 12, an 18-year-old man was driving on the wrong side of the road at 3 a.m. on State Road 141 when he went off the roadway and rolled the car at 70 mph. The driver had a BAC of 0.07.
On Nov. 2, a 42-year-old man was driving 65 mph on Interstate 215 in the rain when his car slid and rolled while negotiating a curve. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the car and died on the scene. His license was suspended at the time and had been suspended twice for a “harmful moving violation conviction” and a prior DUI. His BAC was 0.05.
2001
On March 9, an 18-year-old man was traveling 70 mph in a 50 mph zone at 3:35 a.m. when he struck a light post at 4500 South and 800 West and died on the scene. His BAC was 0.07, according to tests.
On May 11, a 20-year-old man failed to yield and was struck by a train. The driver was partially ejected through the side window and died. Tests showed his BAC was 0.07
On Nov. 10, a 38-year-old woman was traveling 85 mph on a 65 mph stretch of State Road 30 at 9:30 p.m. when the car left the roadway and rolled. She and two passengers were all ejected from the car and died. The driver’s BAC was 0.06.
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