COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — A woman was seriously injured late Wednesday when the car she was driving was crushed underneath a pickup truck. The driver of the truck was later arrested and faces multiple charges, including drug and weapon possession.
Just before 9 p.m., police say Santiago Hernandez drove across four lanes in the area of Interstate 215 and Highland Drive before striking the woman's vehicle head on. Hernandez told officers he had dropped a water bottle, causing him to veer across multiple lanes.
Hernandez's truck landed on top of the vehicle, leading to Cottonwood Heights and Unified Fire emergency responders spending over an hour to free the trapped woman.
“They spent 60 minutes cutting small pieces off until they were able to get her out of the vehicle,” said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary M. Young. “They did some Herculean effort and they were able to get her out and now she's being treated again.”
The woman is in the hospital with what are described as life-threatening injuries.
Hernandez was later found to be in possession of "14 blue pills, which he stated were fentanyl, along with drug paraphernalia," the arrest document states. He then told officers he also had a Glock 19X handgun inside the truck.
Data taken from Hernandez's truck showed he was traveling over 65 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour section before the crash.
