OGDEN -- A man choking on his lunch while driving caused a seven-car pileup on Washington Boulevard that sent three people to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
At 1:15 p.m., Jacob Martin Roper, 30, of Washington Terrace, was driving a GMC pickup truck southbound in the 3500 block of Washington Boulevard after picking up some food with his wife, Rebekah.
"(Roper) is eating his lunch as he's driving, starts to choke on what it was he was eating and in the process of choking, passes out," Ogden Police Lt. Dave Tarran said.
"The truck accelerates and slams into the first vehicle and in turn, we have a chain- reaction accident."
Six vehicles were waiting at a red light in the southbound lanes on Washington Boulevard when Roper's truck smashed into them from behind, 111 feet north of the intersection.
One driver, a 40-year-old male, and two others were transported to McKay-Dee Hospital Center.
Their conditions were unknown.
At the scene, Roper's mother said he had been choking on a french fry.
Roper was conscious after the accident and did not need to be hospitalized.
The impact of the crash may have knocked the food loose and allowed him to breathe again.
Roper was cited for distracted/careless driving.
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