EAGLE MOUNTAIN, Utah — Just days after parentsvoiced their concerns about dangerous drivers in Eagle Mountain, a suspected drunk driver hit five cars in oncoming traffic.
“I worry about it all the time. My grandkids drive on it,” said O’Leah Brown.
Dashcam video shows 40-year-old James Dumas’ car drift across the median and hit oncoming traffic on SR-73.
“A crash like that could easily cause fatalities and it’s almost surprising that it didn’t,” said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said Dumas was arrested earlier Wednesday morning at 1:32 a.m. for driving under the influence, refusing a chemical test, and an assault and criminal mischief related to domestic violence.
Cannon said Dumas was released around 6:45 a.m. The crash on SR-73 occurred just after 1 p.m.
“Reality is that state law is structured such that somebody who’s arrested and booked into jail for DUI, they do have the opportunity to bail out and sometimes even be released on their recognizance,” explained Cannon.
“It’s frustrating. People need to make better choices,” said Kevin Oliver.
According to Cannon, there have been 104 crashes in the past year from Eagle Mountain Boulevard to the boundary of Saratoga Springs.
Only one of those was fatal: the man and woman innocently killed in June after a truck allegedly engaging in road rage hit them head-on.
“We as people need to be more cautious,” said Brown.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, there have been approximately 66 crashes in 2023 on SR-73 from Redwood Road to SR-36 in Tooele County. That number could be higher because it takes time for departments to submit data.
In 2022, there were 109 crashes and in 2021, 147 crashes.
“We’re working with UDOT on other things that need to be done to improve the design and safety of the road for the volume of traffic that it gets,” said Cannon.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office issued 470 traffic citations in a year on the Eagle Mountain stretch alone.
