Utah Highway Patrol says a southbound pickup crossed the center line before striking a northbound school bus.
EPHRAIM, Utah — The Utah Highway Patrol on Monday released the name of the pickup driver killed in a two-bus collision late Friday on U.S. 89 north of Ephraim. Investigators said the crash at about 8:30 p.m. left the 43-year-old driver dead at the scene and sent students from a second bus to area hospitals.
Troopers said the pickup, traveling south, drifted left of center and clipped the side of a northbound Wasatch Academy bus before colliding head-on with a second school bus carrying 17 students and a driver. All 18 people on that second bus were transported with varying injuries, and two were airlifted in critical condition. No injuries were reported among the 19 students on the first bus. By Sunday evening, most students had been released from hospitals, with some continuing follow-up care. State officials said the road was closed for hours as crews cleared debris and documented the scene.
The victim was identified as Melvin Beckstead, 43. UHP said fatigue is suspected in the crash. “Fatigued driving is being suspected as the cause of the crash,” the agency said in a statement. Investigators are reviewing physical evidence, including skid marks, damage profiles and data from the vehicles, to determine the pickup’s speed and lane position before impact. Wasatch Academy said counselors were made available and schedules adjusted as students recovered at home in Mount Pleasant and surrounding communities.
Emergency responders from Sanpete County, air ambulance crews and multiple law enforcement agencies converged on the scene along a straight, rural stretch of U.S. 89. The first bus was able to continue after a safety inspection, authorities said, while the second bus was towed for further examination. Officials have not detailed the conditions of the two people flown from the crash or whether they were students or the bus driver. The highway fully reopened overnight after troopers finished mapping the collision and documenting evidence.
Next steps include toxicology testing, routine in fatal crashes, and a formal reconstruction report. Any policy recommendations could follow the review, officials said. No charges are expected because the driver who crossed the center line died in the crash. Local leaders said they plan to discuss US-89 safety in coming meetings as winter driving sets in. Wasatch Academy is communicating with families and said athletic and academic schedules will proceed with adjustments this week.
Residents described a long line of emergency lights cutting across the snow-dusted valley floor Friday night. “Crews worked through the dark and the cold,” said Mount Pleasant resident Erin Larsen, who passed the area after the closure lifted. “You could see the buses and a lot of responders moving carefully.” On Monday, drivers along the corridor encountered normal traffic as roadside markers from the investigation remained visible.
Officials said they will provide updates as soon as test results and reconstruction findings are available later this week. No memorial plans have been announced publicly; the next milestone is the release of the preliminary crash report.
Author note: Last updated December 16, 2025.