Orem Accident Injures 2

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2 critically injured in high-speed crash

OREM -- A high-speed crash in Orem sent two people to the hospital in extremely critical condition. Police say there is no evidence the car was racing another, but it appears the driver is no stranger to street racing and was flying down the road.

Tuesday, just before 12:30 p.m., the driver of a black Honda Civic was speeding through the intersection at 200 East and University Parkway and hit a silver Pontiac sedan that was turning left.

Police say the driver who caused the crash was going more than 70 mph. Orem police Officer James Thompson said, "Based on witness statements, it looks like the vehicle was traveling at least 70 miles per hour, possibly faster."

The driver behind the wheel of the speeding car was a 27-year-old man from Orem whose car was rebuilt for speed, including a roll bar and a steering wheel with no airbag. He was westbound on University Parkway and had a green light.

The driver of the silver car was a man from American Fork. He was going the opposite way, but also had a green light and was turning left when the cars collided.

The crash was so severe, it required both men to be extricated from their cars by firefighters. Thompson said, "The silver vehicle, which was struck by the black vehicle, was hit hard enough he traveled through the intersection, over the sidewalk and into three vehicles that were parked at the dealership, damaging them."

The three vehicles at the Ken Garff dealership were used, but they sustained several thousand dollars of repairable damage.

Investigators spent much of the afternoon reconstructing the scene to try to determine exactly how fast the black Honda was going. The driver of the silver car was rushed into emergency surgery because of internal bleeding. The driver of the Honda is said to be in extremely critical condition as well.

Their names have not been released.