A man is dead after being struck by a vehicle in Helper on Sunday afternoon. At approximately 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, a man was struck as he was walking westbound on Highway 6 near the Poplar Street exit.
The pedestrian, identified as 60-year-old James Wallberg of Carbonville, was struck by a white Toyota Tacoma and sustained fatal injuries. The driver of the truck failed to stop after the incident and was later apprehended by Utah Highway Patrol troopers nearly five miles east of the scene as damage to the vehicle was noticed. According to the probable cause statement, the evidence on scene showed that the pedestrian may have been close to the fog line, but was clearly outside of the lane of travel.
While conducting the initial investigation during the stop, the officer reportedly detected the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. The trooper also observed a piece of plastic that belonged on the outside of the vehicle that was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle, noting that it was consistent with the right front fender where the damage on the vehicle is.
While the incident is still under investigation, the driver was identified as Mary Hart of Salt Lake City. She was booked into the Carbon County Jail on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, negligent homicide, obstructing, denied drivers license, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.