West Valley City • A Washington County man died Sunday after the pickup truck he was driving on Interstate 215 “launched” off the freeway, striking an SUV and injuring the driver and passenger inside.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Nathan Croft said the man was driving a Toyota Tundra north on I-215 West about 4:20 p.m. when the pickup launched off the side of the highway and jumped an off-ramp, landing on 3500 South near 2400 West and T-boning a GMC Envoy that was traveling east.
A man and a woman were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. They are expected to recover, according to UHP.
The pickup driver, Jared P. Lund, 44, from New Harmony, who was the only occupant in the vehicle, died at the scene.
As of 6 p.m., his body still was trapped in the truck, Croft said. At this time, it’s not clear what caused the vehicle to leave the road and the cause is under investigation.
“I really don’t know what the intention was, whether they were trying to take the off-ramp and missed it,” Croft said.
According the Utah Department of Transportation, 3500 South is closed at 2400 West while UHP investigates the crash. A UDOT estimate shows it likely will remain closed for the next three hours.
