A 60-year-old West Bountiful man died at the scene after the semitruck he was driving blew a front steer tire, crossed the median, and overturned across both westbound lanes of Interstate 80 in remote eastern Nevada. Curtis Vernon Okelberry was behind the wheel of a 2016 Freightliner semitrailer traveling eastbound when the blowout sent the rig careening out of control, according to Nevada Highway Patrol.
The crash happened on I-80 between Wells and Wendover, according to KSL News, which reported that troopers say the left front steer tire failed before the truck crossed the center median and flipped onto its side, blocking the westbound lanes. Debris from the wreck struck a westbound car, though Nevada Highway Patrol said the people inside that vehicle were not injured. Separate reporting relayed by KSL placed the crash near the Nevada State Route 233 interchange, on the long freight corridor linking Salt Lake City and Reno.
Westbound lanes of I-80 stayed closed for several hours while crews worked the scene before reopening, KSL’s report noted. The crash remains under investigation, per the outlet’s account.
Crash Investigation
The wreck is being investigated by the Nevada Highway Patrol, according to a post relaying troopers’ account…