Provo,UT : Alpine School District teacher killed in crash on I-15 in American Fork on September, Tuesday 12th 2017

A fatal crash occurred Tuesday morning on Interstate 15 near American Fork.

The crash happened at 7:52 a.m. near mile marker 277 of northbound I-15. According to Utah Highway Patrol, there were several rear-end crashes in the area during the morning commute and several troopers were assisting affected motorists.

Sgt. Todd Royce with UHP said a sedan was likely following too close to a vehicle in front. Royce said the driver may have been distracted by the police activity on the shoulder. The driver likely didn't see how close the other car was, swerved right to avoid a rear-end collision, but then went underneath a flatbed truck in the next lane.

Troopers arrived within seconds of the crash. The driver was pronounced dead on the scene.

Royce said distracted driving and following too close are likely factors in the crash.

The driver was identified by Alpine School District as Dylan Thornton, a teacher at Vista Heights Middle School in Saratoga Springs. The school released the following statement on its Facebook page Tuesday morning:

"We are deeply saddened by the news and our hearts and prayers are with his family and the school community."

As of noon, the crash site was only blocking one lane of travel. Four lanes of travel were blocked most of the morning through rush-hour traffic.

A moment of silence was held for Thornton at the beginning of the Alpine School District Board of Education meeting Tuesday evening.

A GoFundMe account has also been set up for the family to help with funeral expenses. As of Tuesday evening, it had raised more than $13,000.


Source :
Alpine School District teacher killed in crash on I-15 in American Fork