Woman dies after crash near Santaquin

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A 28-year-old Salt Lake City woman died Saturday after a rollover crash near Santaquin, police said.

Briana Blackwelder was a passenger in a green Ford Explorer headed south on Interstate 15, driven by her brother, Ian Blackwelder, 19, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Plank. Shortly before 2 p.m., the SUV veered into the median and rolled, throwing both the driver and passenger from the vehicle.

It does not appear either was wearing a seat belt, Plank said.

Briana Blackwelder suffered head injuries and died at Mountain View Hospital in Payson, Plank said. Ian Blackwelder, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., was critically injured but conscious at Mountain View Hospital after the crash. Troopers were investigating what caused the Explorer to veer into the median. At the time of the crash, it was raining and the roads were wet, Plank said. I-15 was closed for about 2½ hours after the accident.

Lindsay Whitehurst