Good Samaritan injured while trying to help at semi crash

A Good Samaritan who stopped to help at the scene of a crash involving a semi-trailer rig on Interstate 80 near Emory was critically injured when a cable dislodged by the big rig struck him on Friday.

Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Todd Johnson said the semi was eastbound on I-80, about 4 miles east of Echo Junction, when it failed to negotiate a curve and crashed into the median. The truck struck and became entangled in a cable barrier, blocking two lanes of travel.

"A passing motorist stopped to assist. It appears that the semi driver was trying to back the truck and move it off the cable barrier," Johnson said. "The motorist was standing nearby [and] one or more cables came free and, due to the tension on them, snapped out and struck the pedestrian, knocking him to the ground."

The man, who sustained head injuries, was transported by medical helicopter to University Hospital in Salt Lake City. UHP did not release the victim's name, pending notification of his family.

UHP closed I-80 eastbound as a result of the crash, diverting traffic onto Echo Junction Road to a point about 12 miles farther where motorists could re-enter the freeway. Normal traffic flow on the freeway resumed at 9 a.m. once wreckage was cleared.

No citations were issued, but the accident remained under investigation.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims