A 41-year-old man was charged Monday with automobile homicide and driving under the influence after killing six people and injuring two others when he reportedly careened a dump truck over a freeway median into oncoming traffic.
Jamie Don McKenzie — who has a record of impaired driving and alcohol violations dating back to 1997 — faces eight felony counts with a potential sentence of up to 100 years in prison for all combined.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers have said McKenzie was driving a dump truck west on State Route 40 near Jordanelle Reservoir on Friday. Just before noon, he veered over the median, landing on the other side and crashing into an eastbound pickup truck.
Six people were inside and all died. Police have so far identified only the driver of the pickup truck, 62-year-old Efrain Cardenas. The other occupants, according to UHP, were from Honduras and employed in Utah; the agency is working with the Honduran Consulate to locate their families before releasing their names.
An eastbound Jeep also crashed when it rolled after swerving to avoid the collision. Two people inside were taken to the hospital with injuries.
McKenzie, who was driving the dump truck to deliver dirt for a Park City company, was also treated for some scratches and bruises before he was booked into Wasatch County jail.
Troopers were called shortly before the crash after several people reported the dump truck swerving erratically. According to a probable cause statement, officers found open containers of beer and liquor in McKenzie’s dump truck. One responder said he could smell alcohol on McKenzie’s breath while at the hospital.
McKenzie said he hadn’t had any alcohol that day. He faces six second-degree-felony counts of automobile homicide and two third-degree-felony counts of driving under the influence.
He got a traffic citation six days before the crash for following too closely behind another car. Two months earlier, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of assault and intoxication. He was charged with having an open container in his vehicle in July.
It’s unclear why he was driving the truck — which requires a special license — with some of the recent charges still pending and with similar previous convictions.
