An early morning collision south of Castle Dale on Utah State Road 10 claimed the life of an Emery County sheriff’s deputy May 27.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, Deputy Jeremiah K. Johnson, age 30 of Castle Dale, was headed northbound on SR-10 when the law enforcement vehicle he was driving reportedly crossed the center line of the highway at approximately milepost 36.
Northbound truck driver Jeffery Scott Olson, age 46 of Price, was pulling a coal haul trailer with a Kenworth tractor when the fatal accident occurred at a sharp curve on SR-10 south of Castle Dale.
Johnson’s patrol vehicle purportedly entered the opposite travel lane and the 1999 Dodge Durango collided almost head on with the coal-haul truck.
Conducted by UHP Trooper Dave Brinkerhoff, the preliminary investigation into the incident indicated that excessive speed and impairments were apparently not contributing factors in the fatal collision.
Johnson was apparently returning to Castle Dale after completing a shift in Green River when the accident occurred. The deputy and trucker were wearing safety restraints at the time of the collision. Olson suffered minor injuries in the mishap.
The accident and investigation at the scene closed the highway to traffic for five hours. Motorists traveling in both directions on SR-10 were detoured through Orangeville on Highway 29. The road connects to Highway 57, a local coal-haul transportation route.
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