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LAKE POINT, Tooele County ā Troopers have identified the driver of a Mustang who died in a crash on eastbound I-80 near Lake Point on Wednesday.
The driver was Elwin Dale Hitesman, 66, of West Valley City. The Utah Department of Public Safety said the cause of the crash is being investigated “as a potential medical episode.”
The Mustang crashed into the median, killing the lone occupant. A call for a medical helicopter was canceled because of high winds in the area, said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cam Roden.
The car “drifted off the freeway to the left and struck the center cable barrier,” the department said. Troopers found the 66-year-old driver “slumped over the center console, unresponsive. He was “extricated and life-saving measures were attempted, but it was ultimately unsuccessful and he died at the scene.”
The crash occurred about 1:10 p.m., blocking the shoulder and left lane in the two-lane stretch of I-80 just east of Lake Point. Traffic cameras showed a large amount of congestion in the area as emergency crews worked to help the driver and clear the roadway of debris.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly reported the crash on Thursday. It happened on Wednesday.
