Millcreek • A therapist who stopped at a Millcreek Starbucks Friday morning was killed when a pickup truck careened into the store’s parking lot, hitting the outside cafe table where she and two other patrons sat.
Five people were injured in the collision, which occurred about 9:15 a.m. at the Starbucks at 4744 S. Highland Drive in Millcreek.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said the Dodge Ram sped west from the parking lot of a Subway sandwich shop on the east side of Highland Drive, crossed the street, hit a curb and flipped on its side, slamming the outside table and ramming a pillar at the Starbucks entrance.
Police identified the woman killed as Joslyn Nicole Spilsbury, 48, of Salt Lake City. According to her social media pages, she was a therapist with an office in Murray, just outside Millcreek.
In a statement released through police, family members said they were devastated and described Spilsbury as kind and loving.
(Courtesy Unified Police Department) Joslyn Spilsbury
The other two people at the table were taken to a hospital in critical condition, Rivera said. The driver was conscious when emergency crews pulled him from the truck, Rivera said, and he was in critical condition.
A Unified Police Department spokeswoman said the driver is a 34-year-old man from Oakley, Utah. His name has not been released.
Two children in the truck — a girl, 7, and a boy, 6 — were taken to a hospital by their mother, who arrived on the scene later, Rivera said. They suffered minor injuries.
It’s unclear why the driver drove across Highland Drive; officers will investigate whether he may have had a medical condition, Rivera said.
Melinda Rogers, who lives a few blocks away in Holladay, was getting breakfast at the Einstein Bros. Bagels shop across the parking lot from Starbucks when she heard the crash.
“All kinds of other people from several stores in the complex … rushed over to try to help those injured and to see if they could get the kids trapped in the car out safely,” Rogers said via a Facebook message. “It was a horrific accident, [but] at the same time it was nice to see people come together to try to help out the best they could in a horrible situation.”
Traffic was blocked both ways for several hours on Highland Drive while police investigated. Most lanes were open by midafternoon. Building inspectors were checking out structural damage to the Starbucks and a Sport Clips barbershop next door.
Correction at 12:43 p.m. June 8, 2018: This article has been updated to reflect that the cafe is in Millcreek, not Holladay.
