Manhunt on for driver who allegedly fled fatal I-15 crash

Multiple law enforcement agencies were on the lookout Thursday for the purported fugitive driver of a car involved in a fatal crash with a semi-trailer rig parked in a freeway emergency lane near Lehi.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said a man may have been the driver of a Nissan Altima that was reported traveling erratically on southbound Interstate 15 just prior to the 1:18 a.m. collision.

However, as troopers continued to investigate the crash Thursday, questions were arising over whether the fugitive was real — or possibly made up by the sole survivor of the crash.

The semi was parked in the right emergency lane near milepost 285 when the Nissan struck it and rolled across several lanes. One male passenger was dead at the scene and a second male was flown to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition.

It was the survivor who told troopers that there was a third man who had run away from the scene, Royce said.

Troopers, assisted by Lehi police and Utah County sheriff's deputies, searched for the driver through the night. The manhunt continued with daylight on Thursday, Royce said.

UHP was still investigating, but troopers suspect drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash. The identities of the deceased and survivor also were not immediately determined.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims