Thursday, 10 July 2008
Motorcycle accident claims Orem man
Janice Peterson - DAILY HERALD
An Orem man was killed in an early morning collision with a tractor-trailer Wednesday.

According to a press release, the driver of a tractor-trailer ran a red light at 1200 West and 800 North in Orem at approximately 8 a.m. According to police reports, one witness saw the truck moving west on 800 North, too quickly to stop for the light. David Lant, 34, did not see the approaching truck and was hit while riding his motorcycle through the intersection.

Orem police Lt. Doug Edwards said charges are pending against the 25-year-old truck driver from Lindon, whose name has not been released. The speed of the truck as it entered the intersection and other details of the accident are still under investigation.

Edwards said Lant was transported to Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, where he was pronounced dead. Edwards said he personally knew Lant through church. "He was a devoted husband and father and will be missed by all who knew him," Edwards said in a release.

Robert Cluff, Lant's boss at Minuteman Press in Orem, said Lant was a hard worker and very close to Cluff. Cluff said he came upon the scene of the accident minutes after it occurred and did not realize who had been involved.

"Something caught my eye that I recognized that motorcycle," he said.

As Cluff pulled over and approached the scene, he said he realized Lant had not been in to work, and he tried to call his cell phone. When no one answered, Cluff said he began to realize his friend may have been hurt.

"I didn't even notice (he wasn't at work) until I saw the accident, and I put two and two together," he said.

Officers at the scene told Cluff where the victim was transported, and Cluff said he called Lant's wife to meet him at the hospital. Cluff said it is a tough time for the family, who has asked him to be their spokesman. Lant, a father of three girls, was always there when he was needed.

"The shock of not having him there is frankly what we're all trying to cope with," Cluff said.