UHP: One dead, one critical after I-215 crashes

The Utah Highway Patrol was trying Tuesday to figure out why a car drove into oncoming traffic on a southern Davis County stretch of Interstate 215, triggering a head-on crash that killed one man and left another critically injured.

Berton L. Stephens, 54, of Bountiful, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 5:22 p.m. Monday accident that culminated on the westbound on-ramp from Redwood Road to I-215, said UHP Cpl. Todd Johnson.

Johnson said Stephens was driving a 2004 Honda Accord northbound on I-215 when he rear-ended a 2009 Nissan Altima just before the Legacy Highway split. Stephens' vehicle sped past the Nissan and into a barrier wall, then reportedly accelerated into the highway median, up an embankment and onto westbound I-215.

Stephens' out-of-control car continued onto the westbound I-215 onramp from Redwood and into oncoming traffic,where it collided with a 2008 Jeep Commander driven by Juan Garcia, 46, of West Valley City.

Garcia was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Salt Lake City where he was listed in critical condition, Johnson said Tuesday.

The driver of the Altima was not injured, he said.

Johnson said troopers continued their investigation into the cause of the accident, including whether a medical condition may have been responsible for Stephens having lost control of his vehicle.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims