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CENTERVILLE — One person died and two were critically injured after a crash that closed Legacy Parkway for several hours Friday, according to Utah Highway Patrol.
The accident was reported about 7:45 a.m. on Legacy Parkway near Parrish Lane, according to Utah Highway Patrol. A black 2004 Nissan Maxima driven by a 16-year-old male with a 16-year-old male passenger crossed into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on with a gray 2005 Acura TL, troopers said.
The driver of the Acura, 37-year-old Hyrum Stevenson Stoker, of Syracuse, died at the scene.
The Maxima was fully engulfed in flames when first responders arrived at the scene, according to Utah Highway Patrol. Centerville police officer Shawn McWilliams and several witnesses "braved the flames to rescue the 16-year-old passenger," Utah Highway Patrol said in a news release. They successfully removed the teen from the burning vehicle and firefighters extinguished the flames.
The 16-year-old male driver was airlifted to the University of Utah Medical Center in critical condition. The 16-year-old male passenger was transported to Primary Children's Hospital with serious injuries, according to Utah Highway Patrol.
Witnesses told officials that the Maxima had been driving recklessly prior to the crash, troopers said. Investigators were looking at "aggressive and excessive speed" as factors in the crash, Utah Highway Patrol said.
"We are proud of the heroic actions exhibited by Centerville Police Officer Shaun McWilliams and other bystanders who assisted him," Centerville police posted in a statement on Facebook. "Officer McWilliams put his own life in jeopardy as he and some citizens struggled heroically to remove two young men from this burning car. ... Thank you Officer McWilliams for your act of bravery which most certainly saved the lives of these two young men or at least saved them from very serious burns."
Both directions of the highway were closed for about an hour, but a northbound lane was reopened around 9:30 a.m., according to the KSL Traffic Center. The rest of the lanes reopened around 2:30 p.m.
