ST. GEORGE – The Utah Highway Patrol responded to a rollover on Interstate 15 Friday night just south of Exit 4.
Around 7:40 p.m., an adult woman driving southbound apparently “dozed off” and began drifting across the lane, UHP Trooper Roger Larson said. The driver discovered her car was drifting and overcorrected, sending the car off the side of the road and down an embankment, where it rolled and came to a stop on its tires, facing northward.
The woman was wearing her seat belt, Larson said, which he credited with saving her from harm. She was out of the car and talking with troopers while they investigated the accident and appeared to be uninjured. The woman was the only human occupant in the car. Traveling with her was her pet dog, which suffered a broken leg.
Larson said speed did not appear to be a factor in the crash; the driver simply “fell asleep,” he said.
The car was totaled and had to removed by a wrecker. Traffic on southbound I-15 was not impacted by the crash, though a small segment of one of the northbound lanes on Pioneer Road was temporarily closed for the St. George Fire Department, which also responded to the wreck.
It is possible the woman could receive a citation, Larson said, though he did not elaborate. The investigation was ongoing at the time.
This report is based on preliminary information derived from law enforcement or emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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A woman fell asleep while driving on southbound I-15 and rolled her car just south of Exit 4, St. George, Utah, June 20, 2014 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A woman fell asleep while driving on southbound I-15 and rolled her car just south of Exit 4, St. George, Utah, June 20, 2014 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A woman fell asleep while driving on southbound I-15 and rolled her car just south of Exit 4, St. George, Utah, June 20, 2014 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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Water bottles, sleeping drivers or cell phones it really does not matter. If you’re not prepared to be an alert driver you should not be on the road. Period. There are other people out there putting their trust in your abilities as mis-placed as it may be.
Many people may not know it, but falling asleep while driving can be an indicator of sleep apnea.