598 Accidents On Utah Freeways During Five Days Of Snowstorms

After responding to nearly 600 accidents over five days, the Utah Highway Patrol is pleading with drivers to slow down when the roads are covered in ice and snow.

Between Wednesday, Nov. 27, and Sunday, Dec. 1 — when Utah was hit with major snowstorms — emergency personnel responded to 598 accidents, UHP Capt. Jeff Nigbur said Monday.

“That does not include the Monday [Nov. 25] storm," he said, "which basically turned [Interstate 15] and most of the freeways into an ice skating rink.”

Most of the accidents — 350 — occurred along the Wasatch Front between Ogden and Payson, he said. Two crashes were fatal, killing four people.

Last year, over the same five-day period, there were 434 accidents and one crash that resulted in a fatality. In 2018, there weren’t blizzard-type conditions.