HURRICANE — A two-vehicle collision at the intersection near Walmart in Hurricane left one woman critically injured and a driver in serious condition Thursday evening.
Just after 6 p.m. a call came into the St. George Communications Center reporting that an injury crash occurred involving two pickup trucks at the intersection of state Route 9 and 3400 West, Hurricane Police Sgt. Brandon Buell said.
As emergency personnel arrived they found two heavily damaged trucks blocking both westbound lanes of SR-9 and two seriously injured occupants inside one of them.
Firefighters removed the injured driver from a 2005 Chevrolet Colorado, Buell said, however his passenger was trapped inside the vehicle and required extrication before she was freed from the wreckage.
Both were immediately transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center. The man was in serious condition, Buell said, while his passenger was transported in critical condition.
“The 55-year-old female suffered very critical injuries in the crash,” Buell said.
A 2001 tan GMC Sierra was also involved, with a 33-year-old driver and 27-year-old passenger. The GMC was pulling a mini excavator on a trailer, which was left undamaged in the crash.
A preliminary investigation showed that the GMC was heading westbound in the left hand lane on SR-9. As the driver approached the intersection of 3400 West, two eastbound vehicles were in the left hand turning lane, intending to head north on 3400 West.
The first car cleared the intersection as it made the left hand turn, Buell said, however the Chevrolet turned directly in front of the GMC as it entered the intersection and was struck on the front passenger side.
The force of the impact left the trucks in the middle of the intersection, both extensively damaged and blocking both westbound lanes.
The driver of the Chevrolet was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and officers were not sure if the woman was wearing a seat belt when the collision occurred, Buell said.
The driver of the GMC was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred either, however his passenger was wearing one and neither reported any injuries.
Both trucks were damaged and towed from the intersection, while the mini excavator and trailer were undamaged and later pulled away from the scene.
Traffic was affected for more than an hour, Buell said, as all westbound traffic was redirected onto 3400 West to allow emergency responders to tend to the injured and clear debris from the roadway.
Buell also said that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and with multiple witnesses and statements to be gathered it will take some time to sort out the sequence of events.
“This was quite a scene,” Buell said.
The Hurricane Police Department, Hurricane Valley Fire District, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Department of Transportation’s Incident Management Team responded and assisted.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or first responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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A white Chevrolet pickup and tan GMC truck were involved in a collision on State Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A white Chevrolet pickup and tan GMC truck were involved in a collision on State Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A white Chevrolet truck was struck on the passenger's side, causing extensive damage that required extrication of the passenger, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News File photo: Numerous responders tend to a large crash scene after a two-vehicle collision on state Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Numerous responders tend to a large crash scene after a two-vehicle collision on state Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News The mini excavator and trailer remained undamaged after a two-vehicle collision on state Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A tan GMC truck sustained extensive frontal damage in a two-vehicle collision on state Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A white truck was towed after a two-vehicle collision on state Route 9 that left one woman critically injured and the driver in serious condition Thursday evening, Hurricane, Utah, Nov. 17, 2016 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
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What not wearing a seat belt???whats wrong with people, cars should have an alarm or you can,t start the car unless all are buckled up.
Yea, in the 21st century, you’d think that wearing a seatbelt would be a no-brainer just like not smoking. Yes, I know one is an addiction and the other isn’t, but still…
Was trying to save 15 or 20 seconds really worth it?
Always got to be the first one there while texting or talking on the phone