Utah troopers identify man killed in I-15 crash

Utah Highway Patrol troopers have identified the man who died early Thursday morning when the car he was in crashed into a semi-trailer rig parked on Interstate 15 near Lehi.

Chancey Merrick, 21, of Orem, was dead at the scene of the 1:18 a.m. crash, which occurred on southbound I-15 about five miles north of Lehi.

Another man in the car was treated at a hospital and released about four hours later.

On Friday, troopers continued to investigate the surviving man's story that a third man — who was purportedly driving the Nissan Altima — had fled the scene.

"We are trying to determine if there was a third person," Sgt. Mary Kaye Lucas said Friday. "We don't know if there was."

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

The car was reported traveling erratically just prior to the crash.

Troopers suspect drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims