Utah Highway Patrol Troopers dealt with more than 300 crashes during Monday’s snowstorm, one of the largest snowstorms in the Salt Lake Valley this year.
One Trooper, Sgt. Brian Spillman, had a close call while helping out with a three-car accident.
“When I arrived, I parked my patrol car behind the car that was blocking the lane to protect the accident scene,” Spillman said.
Going to the back of his truck to pull out caution cones, Spillman saw a car come speeding around the corner.
“I saw as it lost control and it started sliding toward me,” he said.
Running down the shoulder, Spillman said he jumped the barrier to make sure he was safe.
He then watched as the driver hit the barrier, then crashed into the back of his truck, exactly where he had been standing.
“I really did have that moment of realization,” Spillman said. “Had that crashed happened 30 seconds earlier, it really could have been a tragic situation for me and a tragic situation for my family.”
Grateful it’s only his truck that needs fixing, Spillman said this would have never happened had the driver slowed down.
“It’s unfortunate that we have some people who will not slow down enough or move over in time, creating a really hazardous situation for us and for the people already involved in a crash,” he said.
Troopers said what really made the storm dangerous was the fact that people were warned the storm was on its way but refused to slow down.
“The few seconds you save by going a little bit faster aren’t worth the risks of hurting someone else or themselves,” Spillman said.
