Driver critically injured in crash involving 2 men chasing each other, police say

SALT LAKE CITY — An argument between two men has left a third man, who was not involved in the disagreement, with life-threatening injuries, police said.

About 8 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a crash involving two vehicles near 4400 W. California Ave. (1300 South). Investigators learned that two men, who are known to each other, got into an argument which resulted in both men getting into their vehicles and one man chasing the other, according to a statement from Salt Lake police.

As the two men rounded a corner, the man who was driving a pickup truck hit the compact car he was chasing from behind, police said. The impact from the collision propelled the fleeing car into oncoming traffic where it was hit head-on by a third vehicle.

The driver of the uninvolved vehicle, a man in his 50s, was taken to a local hospital with what police called “life-threatening injuries.” The driver of the other car suffered only minor injuries.

Police say the driver of the truck fled the scene and had not been located as of 3 p.m. But investigators said they know the identity of the man.