Classified Sign In
UPS driver killed in two-truck collision on SR-36
Dec 02, 2008 | 3496 views | 3 
| 30 
| 
| 
| 30 | |
A UPS employee looks at the wreckage from a crash Monday morning at the intersection of SR-138 and SR-36 involving a Western Excavation dump truck and a UPS delivery truck. The driver of the UPS truck died in the accident.
- photography / Maegan Burr
- photography / Maegan Burr
A UPS driver was killed in a two-vehicle crash Monday morning at the intersection of SR-138 and SR-36 in Stansbury Park.
Alan Christofferson, 54, of West Jordan, was traveling 60 mph south on SR-36 in a UPS delivery truck at approximately 9:20 a.m. when a Peterbilt dump truck in the northbound lanes pulled out in front of him while attempting to turn west onto SR-138, according to Cpl. Andrew Prescott of the Utah Highway Patrol.
The dump truck, owned by Western Excavation, was stuck on the right front tire by the UPS truck, causing both vehicles to spin to the west side of the road.
Prescott said the impact left both vehicles severely mangled.
“The dump truck spilt in half and the cab was demolished,” Prescott said.
Christofferson was found pinned inside the UPS truck and had to be extracted. He was pronounced dead on scene, according to Prescott.
The driver of the dump truck, Steven Jakeman, of Tooele, was ejected from the vehicle. He suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. He was airlifted to University Hospital.
Prescott said the dump truck was carrying a load of mud, which spilled on the road during the accident.
“It was a huge mess,” Prescott said.
UHP shut down the southbound lanes — rerouting traffic onto SR-138 — and the inside northbound lane until about 3 p.m. while crews cleaned up the mud and the two mangled trucks were hauled away.
Traffic in both directions was backed up significantly, Prescott said, although he was unsure how far in either direction.
Christofferson had been driving the Tooele route for more than 20 years and was well-known by local business owners.
The accident is still under investigation. No charges have been filed yet.
Jamie Belnap: jamieb@tooeletranscript.com
post a comment
comments (3)
« Corbijn wrote on Monday, Dec 08 at 11:39 PM »
I passed this UPS truck on my way to work. It made my stomach turn to see this. I feel sorry for the family of the driver. It also angers me because I see far too many people drive SR36 without a care or concern for other drivers. The day after this happened, an emergency vehicle was trying to turn southbound on SR36 at the same light I was stopped at. Even though the EV had it's lights and sirens blaring and was pulled out trying to turn, people just kept driving without a care. I was flashing my lights to oncoming traffic trying to help however people were just driving about 20mph faster than the speed limit. I have already been involved in an accident where a vehicle just decided to change lanes regardless of traffic and caused three cars (mine included) to hit each other. I can't even count how many accidents I have had to avoid because of someone else's poor driving, especially construction vehicles & semi's. I've driven in Washington D.C. and to drive SR36 is more of a nightmare. It doesn't have to be. People just need to drive like they have an IQ higher than "36".
« intrucka wrote on Thursday, Dec 04 at 07:36 AM »
UTOD must get rid of the left turn yield on hwy 36. This should be the last time this happens.
« intrucka wrote on Thursday, Dec 04 at 07:35 AM »
UTOD must get rid of the left turn yield on hwy 36. This should be the last time this happens.
Comments will be posted after review. Please allow up to 24 hours for comment approval.
Readers are solely responsible for the content of the comments they post here. Comments do not necessarily reflect the opinion or approval of the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin. Abusive comments and users are subject to rejection or removal without notification.
We will reject and remove comments that contain any of the following: Potentially libelous statements; personal attacks, insults or threats; profanity or obscene references; copyrighted articles or information used without permission; promotional messages of a commercial nature; links to other Web sites; comments unrelated to the topic of the article.
By posting a comment, you are agreeing to abide by these guidelines. Violation of these guidelines may result in a user being barred from posting on the Web site.