Man expected to recover from being hit by semi on I-80

A man sideswiped by a semi-trailer rig early Friday morning as he stood along the right lane of Interstate 80 was expected to survive his injuries, the Utah Highway Patrol said.

UHP Cpl. Todd Johnson said the man was driving a small pickup truck eastbound on I-80 when he decided to come to a complete stop in the right lane, about 6 miles east of Wendover. The driver got out and was standing near the front of his truck about 2:30 a.m. when the semi approached.

"The semi-truck slowed and moved to the left lane prior to arriving at the vehicle's location. For reasons being investigated at this time, the driver of the pickup was struck with the side view mirror of the semi and sustained injuries."

The man was taken by ambulance to Delle, and from there airlifted to University Hospital in Salt Lake City, but was reportedly communicating with paramedics.

The man, whose identity was not immediately released, was in serious condition later Friday morning, but reportedly improving.

The driver of the semi was unhurt.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims