Driver changing lanes startles another driver who ends up in median

ST. GEORGE —A St. George man took a scary ride Monday when another driver changed lanes too close to him, sending him into the median of Interstate 15.

L-R, SGPD Officer Jamison Hale, driver Matthew Reed and UHP Trooper Lars Gardner work on reports after Reed’s vehicle was damaged when another car changed lanes, causing him to drive off the road into the median of I-15 Monday. St. George, Utah, Feb. 6, 2017 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

Matthew Reed of St. George said he was traveling southbound on I-15 between the St. George Boulevard and Bluff Street exits when a white Honda moved over into the lane his gold Nissan was occupying.

He attempted to keep his car on the roadway, but slipped into the dirt median where his car collided with the cable barrier on the northbound side, keeping him from crossing into opposing traffic.

“Once you hit the rocks in the median and everything it’s kinda hard to control (your vehicle),” Reed said. “I just ended up hitting the middle.”

St. George Police Officer Jamison Hale was the first on the scene, just after 2:30 p.m. He said that the other driver stopped about 1/2 mile down the road near the Bluff Street exit.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Hicks said the driver of the white Honda was an elderly female.

The scene Monday where a gold Nissan drove off the freeway after another car changed lanes, almost hitting him. St. George, Utah, Feb. 6, 2017 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

“She didn’t necessarily force him off the road,” Hicks said. “She was just changing lanes rather slowly and the other driver might have been confused as to what she was actually doing.”

Hicks added the two cars did not make contact with each other.

Reed’s Nissan was towed away from the scene. The lady driving the Honda gave her information to the trooper who responded. She did not receive a citation.

Units from the St. George Police Department, Utah Highway Patrol, Utah Department of Transportation and St. George Fire responded to the scene.

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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Twitter: @STGnews | @NewsWayman

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

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3 Comments

  • old school February 6, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    Strange…….I don’t suppose anyone was using a hand held cellular device at the time, we’re they????

  • .... February 6, 2017 at 11:39 pm

    They should of taken another 25 pictures of the accident and posted them as well

    • Real Life February 7, 2017 at 6:37 am

      11:39p.m. You get started a little early, didn’t you?

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