Logan Canyon closed due to accident

Photo by Tammy Eames Munk

Logan Canyon was closed for almost 4 hours in both directions after a semi pulling a double load rolled over  into the Logan River on Wednesday, August 5.  Crews worked to remove the semi near the dugway. The driver sustained injuries but none were life threatening.  Witnesses believed that the truck's hydraulic brakes had failed.

The Herald Journal reported "UHP Sgt. Jason Kendrick said the 22-year-old driver was headed northbound in the canyon when he took a curve in the road at too great a speed and rolled off the right side of the road into the river. Kendrick said the man was rescued from the cab of the truck by firefighters who waded into the river and extracted him on a stretcher.

“He was seat-belted, which we believe saved him from significant injury,” Kendrick said.

The semi was hauling two belly-dump trailers. Street said the trailers were empty and no hazmat was required for cleanup.

Kendrick said traffic was reduced to one lane till about noon, when the canyon was closed completely. Kendrick said the canyon was closed until 3:30 p.m."

There have been several crashes and slide-offs  in Logan Canyon in recent years.

While the drive through the canyon can be beautiful, it can also cause a lot of problems.

The driver of an 18-wheeler, who troopers believe was going too fast, lost control on a curve and ended up in the river below, as many drivers have.

Utah’s Department of Transportation has tried to make Logan Canyon safer in the past few years, adding cable barriers, rumble strips, signage and even a high-friction surface in one stretch known for crashes and slide-offs.

“Anything we can do to improve safety, we’re doing,” said UDOT spokesperson John Gleason.