5 people killed in a 4-vehicle chain reaction crash on central Utah highway

Four people from Minnesota and a Utah man were killed in a four-vehicle chain reaction crash in central Utah, the Utah Highway Patrol said.

The driver of an SUV who was pulling onto U.S. Highway 6 near Price on Thursday afternoon overshot the acceleration lane and pulled into the path of a semitractor pulling double trailers, the patrol said.

The driver of the semi tried to swerve to avoid hitting the SUV, lost control and crossed the median. The semi struck a Nissan Rogue in the opposite lanes, pushing it off the road and into a rock embankment. The semi and the Nissan also struck an all-terrain vehicle that was traveling on the shoulder of the highway.

All four people in the Nissan were killed, along with the person on the ATV, the patrol said. The semitractor and its trailers ended up on their side.

The victims in the Nissan were Sang Her, 56, and Lee Thao, 38, both from Brooklyn Center, Minnesotan and Bee Moua, 26, and Mai Lor, 25, both from St. Paul, Minnesota, the patrol said Friday. The driver of ATV was 35-year-old Gustavo Mendoza of Helper, Utah.

The driver of the SUV that had been pulling onto the highway suffered minor injuries.

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