The morning of September 17th, on I-15 in Lindon, a cascade of events led to the discovery of 2 teenage girls trapped in a refrigerated trailer headed to Salt Lake City.

A stray tire from a garbage truck bounced across the highway, hitting two vehicles. Due to the emergency, traffic on I-15 slowed, and a trailer truck hit a passenger vehicle while it was stopped. The passenger vehicle was pushed into several other vehicles, resulting in a pile-up.

KSL reports five damaged cars and two people in serious or critical condition. Lieutenant Cameron Roden from Utah Highway Patrol told KSL news that the situation is being treated “as though it could turn fatal”.

Northbound lanes on I-15 in Lindon were closed until 3:15pm, by which time the accident was cleared.

Jacob Ortell Scott, the driver of the truck, was found holding two teenage girls inside his refrigerated trailer. The 28-year-old initially expressed surprise at the situation, but later admitted to keeping two children in his trailer. The 12-year-old and 14-year-old girls had been inside the trailer for nearly 2 hours, at a temperature of 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Scott was arrested on suspicion of third-degree felony aggravated child abuse, and is currently being held without bail.

This story may be updated as more information is released.