Tooele, UT : One person is dead and five were injured after a head-on collision on Wednesday, August 16, 2017

One person is dead and five were injured after a head-on collision between spectator vehicles on an access road at the Bonneville Salt Flats Wednesday morning.

A pickup truck and minivan were heading in opposite directions on the salt flats about one mile off the pavement around 8:51 a.m., according to Tooele County Sheriff Lt. Ron Johnson. A witness saw the pickup truck veer into the path of the van, causing the collision, Johnson said.

The victim killed in the accident was a 65-year-old man, according to the sheriff’s office. The victim’s name has not been released pending notification of next of kin, Johnson said.

There were four occupants in the minivan and two in the pickup truck, according to Johnson. The deceased was the passenger in the pickup truck.

Those injured in the crash were treated by safety and medical personnel on scene, before they were transported by ambulance and medical helicopter to University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake, according to a release from Southern California Timing Association President and race director Pat McDowell.

The condition of the other vehicle occupants has not been released.

Johnson said the cause of the accident is under investigation. The accident happened in the jurisdiction of the federal Bureau of Land Management but the investigation was turned over to the sheriff’s office, which is collaborating with the Utah Highway Patrol.

The spectators were part of the ongoing Speed Week event on the Bonneville Salt Flats, which runs Aug. 12 through Aug. 18.

This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Source :
One dead, five injured in collision at Bonneville Salt Flats