KUTV — Two people died Sunday night when they were struck and killed by an oncoming truck.
The accident happened at approximately 8:16 p.m. when a Ford Explorer traveling eastbound struck a cow at milepost 102 on state Route 40 in Duchesne County.
The driver of the Ford stopped and got out of his vehicle. A Hyundai Sonata traveling behind the Ford stopped near it and a backseat passenger exited the car, the Utah Department of Public Safety reported.
Both individuals were on the shoulder of the roadway, when a GMC pickup traveling westbound, came upon the dead cow in the road, struck it, lost control, and struck the Ford. The Ford was propelled forward by the impact and struck both individuals standing on the shoulder, DPS stated in a news release. A male died on impact, and a female was transported by ambulance to Uintah Basin Medical Center where she passed away from her injuries a short time later. The driver of the GMC was not injured.
DPS stated that the driver of the Ford was a man from Roosevelt, age 48, and the passenger of the Hyundai was a female from Vernal, age 31.
Three other occupants of the Hyundai were not injured. The road was partially closed while Utah Highway Patrol investigated the accident but has since been reopened.