Two killed as van with two LV families crashes on I-70 in Utah

Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2004 | 9:24 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

THOMPSON SPRINGS, Utah -- Two people were killed when a rented van carrying two Las Vegas families heading to a youth boxing tournament in Missouri went out of control and rolled into the median on Interstate 70, the Utah Highway Patrol said.

The eastbound van's tire blew out, sending the vehicle into a roll-over around 9:30 a.m. Monday just east of Thompson Springs, Sgt. Wade Breur, a patrol spokesman, said.

"We don't know how it happened -- if it hit something or was running low. We're just calling it a tire failure," Breur said Tuesday.

Investigators this morning were still looking into whether faulty tires played a role in the accident.

Killed in the accident were Frank Enriquez, 46, of Las Vegas, and an elderly woman whose identity had not been confirmed this morning, Breur said. Both families in the van were from Las Vegas, Breur said.

Six children in the van were injured, including two teenagers and a 6-year-old who remained in critical condition this morning at a Grand Junction, Colo., hospital, he said.

The families were on their way to a youth boxing tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Breur said.

Thompson Springs is 170 miles southeast of Salt Lake City and 30 miles west of the Colorado state line.