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NEPHI — A semitruck narrowly missed a home in Nephi on Tuesday when it left I-15 traveling 80 mph.
The truck went off the road mid-morning at mile marker 226, plunging down a steep slope and headed straight for Chris Memmott's home, 895 E. 700 North.
Memmott now hopes the Utah Department of Transportation can do something to make the area safer.
"(I'm) very, very, fortunate. It could've been much worse,” Memmott said Wednesday. "There were a lot of things here that really could've gone bad."
The truck driver told the Utah Highway Patrol that he swerved to miss a deer.
"He hit that berm first," Memmott said, pointing to a raised area nearby. "Every night there are little kids playing on that berm."
After striking the berm, the truck then knocked a shed on its side.
"I think it probably saved our home," Memmott said.
The big rig, which was hauling livestock fencing on a flatbed trailer, did not stop until it hit a power pole.
It was very chaotic as you can imagine.
–Chris Memmott, homeowner
"It was very chaotic, as you can imagine," Memmott said.
But this isn't the first time a vehicle as come careening toward his home.
Last year on Pioneer Day, a car crashed into the barrier and rolled onto Memmot's property. He fears that raising the speed limit from 75 to 80 contributed to those crashes.
"I just wonder if that's the smartest thing? That's my concern," Memmott said. "I think where there's population, there needs to be protection."
According to UDOT, while the speed limit went up 5 mph, people only drive 1 to 2 mph faster today. But, in the 14 years Memmott has lived in his home, the traffic volume has risen 55 percent, and UDOT officials say that does lead to more crashes.
Memmott wants UDOT to take a closer look to see if there is a way to better protect people and property.
"Whether it's by concrete walls, or if we need to put a dirt berm along here so a car hits that berm before it gets into the population," Memmott said.
UDOT officials said they will analyze the Memmott’s area and see if it qualifies for a safety upgrade.
