SANPETE COUNTY, Utah — New details are emerging about the fatal crash that happened late Friday night near Ephraim and Mt. Pleasant.
43-year-old Melvin Scott Beckstead, also known as “Scooter,” was traveling along US-89 when he drifted into the opposite lane where two buses were carrying Wasatch Academy students and faculty.
CENTRAL UTAH
Teen helps calm classmates after pickup hits school buses in Sanpete County
One bus was grazed and no one on that bus was hurt, but the second bus was hit head-on.
Beckstead died on the scene, and Utah Highway Patrol said fatigued driving was a factor.
“There was a phone call in which he did express that he was tired after working and felt fatigued, and then his driving continued, and then ultimately resulted in this tragedy,” said UHP Sgt. Mike Alexander.
Twenty people on the second bus had to go to the hospital, with two getting airlifted in critical condition.
Wasatch Academy released the following statement Monday on their condition:
"...of the 36 students and 2 teachers on the buses, the 19 hospitalized students have all been discharged ... One teacher was hospitalized and remains in the hospital in serious but stable condition.”
Despite fatigued driving being a factor, US-89 has a reputation of being dangerous.
UHP pulled the follow crash data in the Sanpete County area.
Total Crashes:
- Year 2020- 180
- Year 2021- 145
- Year 2022- 195
- Year 2023- 167
- Year 2024- 187
Serious Injury Crashes:
- Year 2020- 3
- Year 2021- 4
- Year 2022- 8
- Year 2023- 3
- Year 2024- 12
Total Fatalities:
- Year 2020- 5
- Year 2021- 1
- Year 2022- 0
- Year 2023- 1
- Year 2024- 1
“You've got two lanes of travel and traveling in opposite directions at 65 miles an hour, and there's no median, divider or anything like that,” Alexander said.
FOX 13 News reached out to the Utah Department of Transportation to see if medians would be considered, but they said it would not be practical for how far that road stretches.
Therefore, there are some things to keep in mind.
“Those roads are not lit, they're very dark… using your high beams when appropriate,” Alexander said. "Make sure you stay in your lane. If you're paying attention, if you're awake, you're alert, you've removed and eliminated all distractions in your vehicle, you should be able to travel as safely as possible.”
While UHP is still working on 2025 data, they said it looks to be on par with previous years, but some factors stay the same.
“Speed, seat belt, impaired driving, distracted and fatigued driving and recklessness, including road rage, those are the five things that we mostly see that that cause injury or fatalities on Utah roadways,” Alexander said.
Wasatch Academy said they will continue to have mental health counselors and medical treatment available for students, and besides postponing exams, on-campus scheduling will remain as normal.
FOX 13 News reached out to Beckstead’s family but did not receive a response.
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
