SALT LAKE CITY — Days after a woman who was riding as a passenger in a vehicle in Wasatch County was impaled by a piece of rebar that crashed through the windshield of a vehicle, many people are asking, 'What can I do if I see dangerous debris in the roadway?'
That woman, who hasn't been named, is still listed in serious but stable condition. Officials say the rebar struck her in the chest, pinning her to the front seat, but didn't go all the way through her.
For Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cameron Roden, debris isn't something drivers should be shy about reporting.
"Early on in my career, I had a young lady that swerved to miss some box in the roadway and ended up rolling her car was injured pretty seriously," he described.
Lt. Roden explained that following a further investigation, the box in the road ended up being empty. "So something so small as an empty cardboard box can cause a very serious crash."
If drivers see something in the roadway, officials say they should avoid hitting it and cautiously change lanes to do so if necessary. Utah Highway Patrol also asks drivers to call 9-1-1 to report the debris and where it was.
Drivers are not asked to move large or potentially dangerous debris by themselves.
If someone hits debris and suspects it may have damaged their vehicle, Utah Highway Patrol says to turn on the hazard lights and pull over to the side of the road when safe. Then call 9-1-1 and wait in the vehicle until troopers arrive.
Investigators are continuing to investigate the piece of debris that seriously injured the passenger on Tuesday. Anyone who was driving on State Route 189 near the Deer Creek Reservoir and saw the crash is asked to call the Utah Highway Patrol.
