Woman taken to hospital, fault still under investigation after 3-vehicle crash

Written by Carin Miller
September 26, 2015
A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News

CEDAR CITY – A woman was taken to the hospital following a three-vehicle collision in Cedar City Saturday afternoon. Witnesses say the woman drove through a red light and smashed into the side of a truck that was crossing a busy highway, sending the truck careening onto its side and then into a car that was waiting to turn.

A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News
A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News

At 2:15 p.m., the Cedar City Police Department was dispatched to an accident on Highway 56 at the cross-section of Westview Drive and Lund Highway.

The accident would have been a Utah Highway Patrol call, Cedar City Police Officer Jason Thomas said, but UHP responders were busy looking for two men who were on the run following a domestic dispute situation a few hours earlier.

The specific events leading up to the accident were unclear, Thomas said, because there were three vehicles involved and four witness statements to sort through following the incident.

What was clear, he said, was that there were three vehicles involved in the crash – a charcoal Nissan Pathfinder, a red Ford F-150 extended cab that was pulling a trailer, and a silver Honda Accord.

The man driving the Ford F-150 was in the process of crossing the busy highway, traveling north from Westview Drive to Lund Highway, the officer said, when the woman driving the Pathfinder smashed into the passenger side of his truck, flipping the truck onto its driver’s side.

A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News
A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News

The woman in the Pathfinder was traveling west at the time, Thomas said, so when the truck flipped onto its side, the small Accord that was facing south in the left turning lane, waiting to turn east onto Highway 56, got caught in its path.

The driver of the Pathfinder was transported to Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City by Gold Cross Ambulance with a neck brace on, witnesses said, but Thomas was unable to confirm the extent of her injuries.

Witnesses to the accident all reported that the driver of the Pathfinder drove through a red light and that the driver of the F-150 had the right of way, Thomas said, but the Pathfinder driver contested that, saying  she had the right of way at the time.

There is an ongoing investigation to determine whether or not the light was, in fact, red when she passed through it, Thomas said.

Drugs and alcohol did not play a role in the crash, he said, and no citations have been issued as this report is published; however, that may change after the investigation is completed.

The driver of the F-150 and his 85-year-old father, who was in the passenger’s seat, both declined medical assistance, claiming they were uninjured despite an abrasion on the driver’s head and the scuffed-up elbow his father displayed.

“That’s all I got,” the man said, pointing to his elbow and then back at the sideways Ford still in the middle of the road. “All of that, and just this little tiny scratch. My seat belt saved my life.”

A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News
A woman is sent to the hospital following a three-vehicle accident at Highway 56 and Lund Road, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 26, 2015 | Photo by Carin Miller, St. George News

The lifesaving seat belt was difficult to get off, he said, but when the Fire Department opened the windshield to pull him out, they helped him out of it.

The driver of the Accord and her passenger also declined medical assistance at the scene, Thomas said.

The Cedar City Fire Department, along with Iron County Sheriff’s Office VIP, assisted at the scene.

Both the Pathfinder and the F-150 had to be towed from the scene, but the Accord was still in drivable condition despite the damage it sustained.

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

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in South Jersey, Carin Miller moved to Cedar City 20 years ago or so and found her home. A 2012 graduate of Southern Utah University, she earned her bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in fine art photography – after dropping out of high school at the age of 16. Carin proved that with a little determination and hard work anything was possible. Her love of history and family has compelled her to dig up “Legacies Lost to Time” and share them with the world when she is not busy with either work or her four children. Having worked for the Iron County Today, Alive Utah South and KCSG Television before landing with St. George News, Carin has covered a wide range of issues, events and happenings throughout the Southern Utah region. https://www.facebook.com/carinmillernews

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