Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man died Wednesday after a truck ran a red light and struck the car he was riding in at a Salt Lake City intersection, police said.
Emergency crews responded to the crash at 1700 S. 900 West shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday when the driver of a northbound pickup truck ran a red light at the intersection, hitting a Plymouth Neon traveling east, Salt Lake Police detective Cody Lougy said.
A 28-year-old passenger of the Neon, identified as Marcus Ortega of Salt Lake City, died from his injuries at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. Police had originally stated he was the driver of the vehicle. Another adult driving the Neon and a 5-year-old girl were also in the car. The girl suffered minor injuries, Lougy said.
Lougy said two people were in the truck and both were taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. Police said a 23-year-old man was driving the truck. Police didn't know Wednesday what citations or charges might be pursued against him.
Video surveillance from a nearby 7–Eleven store shows the truck going through the red light at 1700 South, Lougy said. The detective added there was no initial indication that drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.
Investigators were still trying to determine the truck's speed Wednesday evening.
The crash closed down the intersection in all directions. At 3:30 p.m. SLC PD said the intersection would be shut down for “several hours” as they investigated the crash. The crash also knocked out power in some areas around the intersection.
