Man dies after driving into truck in Spanish Fork Canyon

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

The man was heading east when at 6:55 p.m. he drove his Acura into the path of the truck near the mouth of the canyon, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. The impact threw the man 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, though by 7:45 p.m. it was just smoldering, UHP Trooper Joe Dougherty said.

The resulting mess shut down the canyon for several hours.

The name of the man who died had not been released Friday evening pending notification of his family. The driver of the truck was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators did not immediately know why the driver of the Acura veered into oncoming traffic.

jdalrymple@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jimmycdii