Auto accidents

WILLARD — College football and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ semi-annual General Conference likely contributed to heavy traffic Friday afternoon on Interstate 15 and resulted in numerous accidents.

The Utah Highway Patrol responded to three separate crashes about 4:30 p.m. on I-15 southbound between Brigham City and Willard, said Trooper Dan Altenes.

The crashes occurred in heavy traffic, causing numerous rear-end collisions involving at least 25 vehicles.

SAN GABRIEL, Calif. -- U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson suffered a seizure in connection with two Los Angeles-area traffic crashes that led to a felony hit-and-run citation over the weekend, officials said Monday.

Bryson, 68, was treated at a hospital following the crashes around 5 p.m. PDT Saturday, authorities said.

The Commerce Department said Bryson was on personal time and did not have any security detail at the time of the accidents. He was driving his own vehicle and was given medication to treat the seizure.

The secretary was driving alone in a Lexus on a major street in San Gabriel when he struck the rear end of a vehicle that had been stopped for a passing train, authorities said.

OGDEN — Helpful as a new program aims to be after a traffic accident, when every second can count, it’s not going to be effective if drivers and emergency responders don’t know about it, so Utah Highway Safety specialist Rhonda Parker is out to change that and bring the program to the Top of Utah.

As the program’s coordinator, Parker helped bring the national Yellow Dot program to Utah earlier this year, kicking it off in Tooele County.

Members of the U.S. military -- especially enlisted troops in the Army and Marines -- were significantly more likely to cause auto accidents within six months of returning from deployment, according to a study by USAA Property and & Casualty Insurance Group, a major insurer for military families.

OGDEN — Five people injured in a seven-car accident Monday night didn’t have to wait long for medical help.

An eyewitness said an ambulance was waiting to turn just before 6 p.m. when the driver of a Hummer sped through a red light at 12th Street and Harrison Boulevard and hit three other vehicles.

WASHINGTON -- The Association of Global Automakers participated in today's National Transportation Safety Board forum on attentive driving explaining that automakers are actively looking at new research and opportunities to help address crashes caused by driver inattention.

MIDVALE -- A single icy on-ramp near Midvale is being blamed for 15 crashed cars in four separate accidents.