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1 person killed in crash on U.S. 40 involving law enforcement pursuit (updated)

Another occupant of vehicle airlifted to hospital in critical condition

A high-speed chase on Wednesday morning left the passenger of the fleeing vehicle dead and the driver in critical condition after the vehicle rolled several times on U.S. 40 following efforts to deflate its tires, according to a statement from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The chase started in Wasatch County near Midway and ended near the Silver Summit exit of U.S. 40, reaching speeds of more than 95 mph.

The Sheriff’s Office identified the deceased passenger as 19-year-old Daisha Reynolds, of Salt Lake City, and the driver as a 22-year-old Salt Lake City man. The driver remained hospitalized as of Thursday.



The Park Record is not naming the driver because he had not been charged with a crime as of Friday afternoon.

The car was stolen around 9 a.m. in Hideout, according to the statement. About an hour later, Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a report of a similar vehicle involved in an attempted burglary in Midway, and located the vehicle around 10:20 a.m.



The chase began when Wasatch County sheriff’s deputies attempted to pull the vehicle over and it did not stop.

The chase proceeded through Midway, where officers twice lost sight of the vehicle, according to the statement. They resumed the chase on River Road and traveled on to U.S. 40, where speeds approached 100 mph.

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper deployed tire spikes on U.S. 40 in Summit County to slow the vehicle, though a spokesperson did not say whether the tires were deflated.

According to the statement, several miles north on U.S. 40 and near the site of the accident, a Summit County sheriff’s deputy also attempted to deploy a tire-deflation device.

The fleeing driver swerved and lost control of the vehicle.

The Park City Fire District responded to the scene shortly before 10:30 a.m. and found the car with extensive damage, according to Battalion Chief Darren Nelson. It appeared to have rolled several times.

Medical personnel pronounced Reynolds dead at the scene. The male driver was airlifted to a hospital in the Salt Lake Valley in critical condition, Nelson said. He said they were not wearing seatbelts.

A 16-week-old dog that was also in the vehicle was in critical condition with a broken pelvis and legs, according to an official at the nonprofit Nuzzles & Co., which took custody of the animal.

The Utah Attorney General’s Office was investigating the crash, officials said, with the West Valley Police Department, Park City Police Department and the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner assisting.

The northbound lanes of U.S. 40 were closed shortly after the crash and traffic was diverted to the Silver Summit exit.


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