By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Three people died in a single-car accident eight miles
south of Nephi on Interstate-I5 Sunday morning.
Killed were Richard Csomok, 25, Cleveland, Ohio; Michelle
Pascual-Olfindo, 23, Las Vegas, Nevada; and Romel Jacob
Olfindo Jr., 11 months, Las Vegas, Nevada.
None of the victims were wearing seat belts at the time
of the accident.
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Nathan Lindsey said he could
find no obvious cause for the accident except driver
fatigue.
The single-vehicle accident occurred at 6:49 a.m. on the
north-bound side of the freeway. "The sport utility vehicle
rolled three times and came to rest in the median," said
Lindsey.
He said there was a large "critical curve" tire mark on
the freeway at the site of the accident. Such a curve across
the highway usually indicates a rapid loss of control
without the use of brakes.
"The rapid loss of control without brake usage is
consistent with a driver falling asleep," he said.
It was unknown what the relationship between
Pascual-Olfindo and Csomok, who was driving the vehicle,
was. Pascual-Olfindo does have a husband in the military who
was the infant's father, said Lindsey.
Documentation indicated all three may have been from
Cleveland but the car was registered in Las Vegas to
Pascual-Olfindo.
Items found in the car indicated the mother and child may
have been moving to Cleveland from Las Vegas.
Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Kramer said
statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration indicate three of four fatigue-related
motor-vehicle accidents involve male drivers.
Two-thirds of all fatigue caused crashes involve drivers
under age 30 even though the age group represents only a
quarter of all licensed driver.
A study, conducted in 1995, determined that
fatigue-related wreaks are more likely to occur between 5
and 8 a.m.
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