ST. GEORGE — A woman experiencing a possible medical issue while driving lost control of her gray Hyundai Tucson Thursday morning, sending her up onto a gravel embankment on the west side of the Red Cliffs Mall in St. George.
The driver drove over bushes, knocked down three trees and hit several boulders before coming to a stop several hundred feet from where she lost control of the vehicle around 9:49 a.m.
The woman showed some signs of confusion, St. George Police Officer Jamison Hale said.
“She couldn’t exactly tell me where she was. She knew her address fine. She knew what day of the week it was,” Hale said. “She couldn’t tell me what happened. She said ‘I just wanted to pull off the road to get out of the way.’”
Medical personnel on scene said the woman had a history of seizures, Hale said.
“She was eastbound on Red Cliffs and made a right-hand turn to travel south on 1680 East,” St. George Police Sgt Sam Despain said. “At this point, we believe the driver had some sort of medical condition that caused her to go off the roadway into the planter box by the mall. She actually hit three trees, drove over some rocks … did some damage to her car.”
Despite not complaining of any injuries, Despain said, the woman was transported by ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for precautionary purposes.
No other vehicles were involved and no other injuries were reported as a result of the collision.
Airbags did not deploy on the Hyundai, which was subsequently towed from the scene.
As this report is published, no citations had been issued.
St. George Police, St. George Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the incident.
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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The driver of a gray Hyundai Tucson lost control of her vehicle on Thursday morning and crashed onto the gravel embankment next to N. 1680 East, St. George, Utah, Feb. 4, 2016| Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
The driver of a gray Hyundai Tucson lost control of her vehicle on Thursday morning and crashed onto the gravel embankment next to N. 1680 East, St. George, Utah, Feb. 4, 2016| Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
The driver of a gray Hyundai Tucson lost control of her vehicle on Thursday morning and crashed onto the gravel embankment next to N. 1680 East, St. George, Utah, Feb. 4, 2016 | Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
A gray Hyundai Tucson careened onto the gravel embankment on the west side of Red Cliffs Mall, St. George, Utah,, Feb. 4, 2016 | Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
One of the three trees the driver of a gray Hyundai Tucson ran over after she lost control of her vehicle, St. George, Utah, Feb. 4, 2016| Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
Broken poles caused by an out-of-control driver, St. George, Utah, Feb. 4, 2016. | Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
A damaged Hyundai Tucson is loaded onto a flatbed tow truck after a single-vehicle accident, St. George, Utah, Feb. 4, 2016 | Photo by Don Gilman, St. George News
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Anyone with a medical history like that should not be allowed to operate a motor vehicle.
A history of medical seizures? And she is still driving? Someone please, take her car keys away before she smashes into a beer truck or something.
Yeah, how about the driver’s license ‘crats step in here! Wonder if she has hidden the seizures from them when renewing her license. I hope SGPD will at least notify them.
Hey we can’t have anybody wrecking any of the beer trucks. actually let’s call them what they really are in Utah.. dang near beer trucks