A semi rig clipped a snowplow's wing in Spanish Fork Canyon on Thursday afternoon, within a mile and a week of a similar accident.
The driver of the semi who had been driving up a hill on U.S. 6 attempted to pass a snowplow, clipped the plow's right wing and spun out into oncoming traffic, said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. The semi didn't hit any additional cars or cause any more accidents and neither driver suffered any injuries.
Last Thursday, a semi sideswiped a snowplow going down a hill in the same area of the canyon, forced it across the oncoming lanes of traffic and over a 300-foot embankment.
The injured snowplow driver from last week's crash, Terry Jacobson, has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, said Gleason.
"It's very troubling," said Gleason. "It's another reminder that we all need to slow down and give our snowplow drivers room to work."
Gleason said there are a few snowplow-involved incidences every year, but Thursday's crash brings this season's total to five incidents.
UDOT has also released a video of a near-collision involving a snowplow in the Ogden area from Jan. 5. The video is dash-cam footage from a snowplow traveling in the right lane of traffic on Interstate 15, and shows a car that merged from an on-ramp spinning out in front of the plow. The car regained control and kept driving.
UDOT Region One Communications Manager Vic Saunders said, "That particular [snowplow] driver sees that kind of thing all the time" because of drivers being distracted or going too quickly.
"That's why we always encourage people to not crowd the plow, but make sure you stay behind it, if you can, that you pass on the left, if you must, and never pass a snowplow on the right, under any circumstances," said Saunders, noting that snowplows push snow to the right and have a wing that sticks out on that side.
tfrandsen@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tiffany_mf
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