ST. GEORGE — At least three people were transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George Tuesday afternoon after a two-car collision at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Westridge Drive.

At approximately 5:20 p.m., a Toyota Highlander SUV was westbound on Sunset in the left-turn lane, St. George Police Officer Jamison Hale said, and the white Dodge Dakota truck was eastbound on Sunset in the outside lane. The driver of the Toyota Highlander SUV said he entered the intersection on a green light. The light started to turn yellow so he started to make a left-hand turn. The driver of the Dodge Dakota truck didn’t have time to stop, and they hit, Hale said.

After the two vehicles collided, the Dodge Dakota traveled six blocks south on Westridge Drive before jumping the sidewalk curb, crashing through a chain link fence and taking out several yard structures, including a brown trellis fence and a clothing line. The truck came to a stop in the side yard of a home that sits on 580 North Westridge Drive.

“It’s a good thing my child wasn’t out here playing,” the homeowner told a St. George Police Officer.

From what I understand, Hale said, after the impact, the driver of the Dodge Dakota said his throttle stuck.

When they had the tow truck driver turn the Dodge Dakota engine on to get it moved, the engine revved at a high rate of speed and so there may be truth to the throttle malfunctioning, police said.

Airbags in the Dodge Dakota deployed, and the driver did not report any injuries.

In the Toyota Highlander, there were five adults: three females in the back and two males in the front, St. George Police Officer Anderson said. They suffered various impacts:

• The three females were transported by ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George as a precaution for assessment of what appeared to be minor neck, back, and chest pains.
• “The male passenger was pretty cut up,” Anderson said. He had minor cuts to his knee and his elbow and a pretty good cut on his hand. Anderson was not sure if he was transported to the hospital.
• “The male driver did not have any injuries,” Anderson said, and added: “he said that he ‘has plenty of injuries but not from the accident.’”

The Toyota Highlander driver was cited for failure to yield, Hale said.

An investigation into the incident was ongoing.

This report is based on preliminary information available on scene and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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