Man who died in Spanish Fork Canyon crash identified

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Authorities have identified the man who died Friday evening in Spanish Fork Canyon after he drove into the path of a semi truck hauling coal.

Gregory D. Leavitt, 34, of Pleasant Grove, was the driver of the 2000 Acura that veered into oncoming traffic just before 7 p.m. Friday. The impact threw Leavitt from his car and crews pronounced him dead at the scene of the accident.

The crash happened near a cluster of large wind turbines at the mouth of the canyon, according to UHP.

The crash jackknifed the truck and toppled its two trailers, spilling coal onto the road. A fire also broke out in cab of the truck, which was eventually put out by fire crews.

The resulting mess shut down the canyon until 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

The driver of the truck, David Lewis, from Orem, was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries and has since been released.

As of Saturday morning, investigators still do not know why Leavitt veered into oncoming traffic.