UT Tow Truck Driver Seriously Injured

Here's the story from Justice News Flash:

Salt Lake City area tow truck driver injured in auto accident.

Salt Lake City, UT (JusticeNewsFlash.com—On Sunday, three men and a Utah Highway Patrol trooper were injured in a multi-vehicle collision on the shoulder of Interstate 80 in Utah. The accident occurred when an Audi struck a tow truck while it was attempting to connect to a fifth-wheel trailer from a disabled truck, according to the ParkRecord.com.

According to Utah Highway Patrol officials, a pickup truck, which was pulling a fifth-wheel trailer, was disabled along the westbound side of Interstate 80. The pickup truck wasn’t in a drivable condition at the time because the truck lost a wheel when the lug nuts came loose. Around 2:40 p.m. a Park City tow truck driver was attempting to connect the trailer to his tow truck when the driver of an Audi slammed into the back of the trailer. Apparently the driver fell asleep behind the wheel, rear-ended the trailer, which hit the three men working on the disabled trailer, injuring them all.

The Utah Highway Patrol trooper and the owner of the fifth-wheel trailer suffered injuries. The trooper was treated at a local Park City clinic where he received stitches in his left hand to close a cut he sustained when he fell over a cable barrier in the median. The tow truck driver, who is a co-owner of Park City Towing, David Belcher, 57, sustained serious injuries. Belcher’s hand became pinned in-between the fifth-wheel kingpin and the truck, almost ripping off Belcher’s thumb. The driver of the car, identified as John R. Payne, 48, was also injured. Both Belcher and Payne were transported by area emergency medical services (EMS) crews to a Salt Lake City Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Belcher’s thumb was reattached in a four-hour surgery on Sunday night. The driver was issued a citation for the automobile accident.

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