ST. GEORGE — A Nevada man who had been reported missing was killed in a crash on Interstate 15 in Iron County early Saturday morning.
The man, 62-year-old Leif Johansson, of Henderson, was listed as a missing and endangered person with health issues and dementia. He was driving a passenger car that was stopped in the middle of a lane when he was hit by a semitractor-trailer.
Investigators are still trying to determine why the passenger car was stopped in a travel lane just before it was struck, Utah Highway Patrol stated in a news release Saturday afternoon.
Shortly after 5 a.m., UHP troopers were dispatched to northbound I-15 near mile marker 93 after the Utah Department of Public Safety Cedar Communications Center began receiving calls reporting a small passenger car stopped in the outside travel lane.
As troopers were en route to the area, another 911 call reported that a UPS semi with triple trailers had hit the car.
The impact pushed the passenger car off the outside shoulder of the interstate, causing extensive damage. According to UHP, after hitting the car, the semi jackknifed and slammed into the median, tearing the front drive axle from the truck as it did so.
Medical units arrived and extricated the driver of the passenger car while a medical helicopter was launched to the scene.
Ambulance and helicopter crews attempted lifesaving measures on the driver, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The semi driver suffered only minor injuries.
This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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A passenger is heavily damaged after a fatal crash on Interstate 15 in Iron County, Utah, April 13, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News A UPS truck is jackknifed after a crash on Interstate 15 in Iron County, Utah, April 13, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News A passenger is heavily damaged after a fatal crash on Interstate 15 in Iron County, Utah, April 13, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News The front axle of a UPS truck is lodged in the dirt after a crash on Interstate 15 in Iron County, Utah, April 13, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
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