ST. GEORGE – A man in his 50s took somewhat of a Dukes of Hazzard-style crash Tuesday morning when he left the roadway and launched his car 20-30 feet through the air before landing and coming to a stop on all four wheels.

Just after 8 a.m., the man, driving a Buick Skylark, was traveling south on Red Hills Parkway when, for whatever reason, he left the right side of the roadway, St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said. Just as the car came to a steep embankment, instead of rolling, the car launched forward and flew through the air.

“That’s like Hollywood stuff right there,” Despain said. “It’s amazing … The fence isn’t even disturbed; it like, literally, went over the top of it.”

Because there were no skid marks where the man left the roadway, and because of how far the car launched, Despain said it appears the man was traveling at a high speed.

A witness told police she was driving when all of a sudden she saw a big poof of dirt, Despain said. When she went to see what had happened and call for help, she said the man was out of his car and walking, but looked dazed and confused.

The man was the only occupant of the vehicle.

“What’s amazing is he wasn’t injured,” Despain said. “… And thank goodness he didn’t run into any other cars. I guess it could have been much, much worse.”

The man was transported via ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George as a precautionary measure, Despain said, and, as this report is published, the man is reportedly in good condition.

“We’ve got officers down at the hospital right now interviewing him trying to find out exactly why he went off the road,” Despain said. “They’re looking at it right now trying to determine if there’s any impairment involved in that.”

After officers finish interviewing the man, Despain said, they will determine if a traffic violation citation will be issued or if the man will be arrested for DUI.

The car was banged up with flat tires and deployed airbags and was towed from the scene.

The tow truck driver looked at the car and said: “Well, I guess they shouldn’t name it a Skylark if they didn’t mean for it to fly.”

This report includes preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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