PROVO, Utah – Two people are in critical condition and one person is in serious condition following a two-vehicle crash on State Route 189 in Provo Canyon Monday afternoon.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to the accident, which occurred about one mile into Provo Canyon, around 12 p.m.
According to a press release, a Chevy Suburban pulled out of a park and turned south on SR 189 near mile marker 9. The driver began making a U-turn to travel north, and a Nissan traveling south veered to miss the SUV but hit the left side of the SUV.
There were three female passengers in the SUV aged 19, 18 and 18. All three were checked for injuries at the scene and released. The driver, 19-year-old Erin Lambert, was cited in the accident.
The Nissan had four occupants, and all of them were taken to a hospital. The 44-year-old driver, Ruth Peterson, sustained a broken back. An 18-year-old passenger in the front seat had back and rib injuries. A 16-year-old male passenger was not wearing a seat belt and sustained injuries to his right side and right leg. A 12-year-old male passenger was not wearing a seat belt, and he suffered head injuries.
Cpl. Todd Johnson, Utah Highway Patrol, said two of the injured people were in critical condition and one was in serious condition. The press release with updated information did not specify which victims were in which condition nor did it give the condition of the fourth injured passenger.
Traffic was delayed for several hours as the accident was investigated.
This is one of several serious car accidents to occur during Memorial Day weekend. UHP officials refer to the time between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day as the “100 Deadliest Days’ because of the number of severe wrecks.
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