BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — Big Cottonwood Canyon was closed for several hours Monday as police investigated a crash that killed one person and seriously injured multiple others, including two children.
The crash happened on State Route 190 at Storm Mountain, near milepost 5, at 9:25 a.m.
The driver of a dump truck told police he was heading down the canyon when the brakes on his vehicle gave out.
"That will be part of the investigation is they'll go through a do a test to determine if those brakes had given way and everything that could have happened," explained Sgt. Melody Cutler with the Unified Police Department.
WATCH: Police give an update on the preliminary investigation of the crash
The dump truck crashed into a passenger car that was headed up the canyon. In total, four people were riding in the passenger vehicle.
A 4-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital in extremely critical condition, a 2-year-old girl was taken to the hospital via ambulance in serious condition, and a woman in her 60s was taken to the hospital via ambulance in critical condition. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was killed in the crash.
In an update Tuesday, police said the little girl was released, however, the boy and grandmother were still receiving treatment in the hospital at the last update. The grandmother had surgery to repair internal injuries and the family is hopeful for a full recovery.
Officials identified the woman who was killed as 36-year-old West Jordan resident Jessica Keetch Minnesota.
The driver of the dump truck was also taken to the hospital in serious condition.
A Gofundme created for Minnesota identified her as the mother of the two children who were injured. The other woman in the vehicle was identified as Minnesota's mother, the Gofundme stated.
After being closed for several hours, all roads in and out of the canyon were reopened just before 3 p.m.
Police also explained that when looking at the canyon as a whole, the area this crash happened is one of the worst spots, due to extremely low visibility.
