Tooele County first responders brace for '100 deadliest days' of summer

LAKE POINT, Tooele County — Tooele County first responders expressed concern Monday about the "100 deadliest days" on Utah roads following a deadly crash that claimed a man's life over the weekend.

On Saturday after 7 p.m., Utah Highway Patrol troopers said a driver exited westbound I-80 at the Lake Point exit traveling at a high rate of speed, lost control and fishtailed before going off to the left and becoming submerged upside down in a retention pond.

Jon Smith, a spokesman for North Tooele Fire District, was part of the emergency response that night.

"The entire vehicle is submerged and upside down," Smith said. "I went into the water to help search the vehicle alongside Tooele County Search and Rescue and find out if anybody was trapped in the vehicle, if anybody was partially submerged or if anybody had been ejected from the vehicle."

Though crews got the 35-year-old driver out of the water, troopers said he was later pronounced dead after being flown to the hospital.

"A lot of those things don't go away," Smith said, acknowledging the emotional and psychological toll crashes like this one pose.

Smith said he and other volunteer firefighters don't fulfill the same function as law enforcement, but they and paramedics routinely respond to deadly crashes that happen along the 100-mile stretch of I-80 from Lake Point to the Utah-Nevada state line.

"We're not troopers, but we are the people that get called out there when something go bad," Smith said. "You see and you respond to people's absolute worst day."

He said all too often, first responders witness tragic outcomes to crashes.

"You do see a sense of frustration when we start talking about the sheer number of calls we deal with on I-80," Smith said. "It can wear on you after a while when you see the sheer number of these accidents that are 100% preventable."

Smith estimated over 80% of North Tooele Fire District's call volume over the next three months will be on I-80, and he called for drivers to slow down and use extra caution at all times, but especially during these "100 deadliest days" between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.

It was a message echoed by Utah Highway Patrol in a statement by Maj. Chamberlin Neff on Monday that read, "To those driving Utah's roads, remember that every decision you make carries a consequence — for you, for those you share the road with, and for those family members waiting for you to come home. One poor choice or bad habit behind the wheel can escalate so quickly. Distractions, impairments, or unsafe speeds can all turn into a fatal mistake in a split second."

Troopers urged drivers to buckle up, to drive sober and to drive focused without distractions, as did Smith.

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