Smithfield Man Charged with Vehicular Homicide in Logan DUI Death

Chad Hurren Saunders, a 44-year-old man from Smithfield, Utah, has been charged with second-degree felony automobile homicide after hitting a pedestrian in a Logan parking lot while under the influence of alcohol. The pedestrian, a woman in her 30s, suffered serious head trauma and was initially transported to a local hospital before being flown to a trauma center, where she later died from her injuries. Police allowed Saunders to leave the scene without conducting field sobriety tests but later contacted him, detecting a heavy odor of alcohol and obtaining a blood draw with his consent. Saunders admitted to heavy drinking the night before and consuming alcohol again the morning of the accident; his father confirmed Saunders did not drink after the collision. The charge was upgraded from negligently operating a vehicle causing serious injury to automobile homicide following the victim's death. This incident highlights Utah's strict DUI laws, which have a lower blood alcohol limit than most states, reflecting ongoing concerns about alcohol-related traffic fatalities in the state.