Driver crashes into wall, gate, leaving wake of wreckage

The driver of a Honda Accord left the roadway and smashed through landscape, utility boxes, a retaining wall and an iron gate near 767 S. Dixie Dr., St. George, Utah, Nov. 9, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – A 54-year-old man was extricated from his vehicle and transported to the hospital with significant injuries Sunday after his vehicle crashed through landscaping and utility boxes before smashing through a portion of a retaining wall and an iron gate near 767 S. Dixie Drive.

At approximately 4:41 p.m., the man, driving a 2001 Honda Accord, was traveling northbound on Dixie Drive when his vehicle left the roadway, St. George Police Sgt. Spencer Holmes said.

The driver of a  Honda Accord left the roadway and smashed through landscape, utility boxes, a retaining wall and an iron gate near 767 S. Dixie Dr., St. George, Utah, Nov. 9, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
The driver of a Honda Accord left the roadway and smashed through landscape, utility boxes, a retaining wall and an iron gate near 767 S. Dixie Dr., St. George, Utah, Nov. 9, 2014 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

“Basically, he went straight when the road turned,” Holmes said. “He struck the curb and sidewalk first before he hit the iron gate which spun his vehicle around.”

The man, who was not wearing his seatbelt, had to be extricated from the vehicle. He was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George via ambulance with injuries to his head, arms and legs. Although, the injuries were non-life threatening, Holmes said, the injuries were significant.

“There were no other vehicles or people involved,” Holmes said, “just him, the sidewalk and the wall.”

Witnesses estimated the man was traveling faster than the speed limit, Holmes said. The man is also being investigated for alcohol impairment.

“There are charges that look like will be coming from (the DUI) portion of the investigation, as well as the improper lane travel,” Holmes said. “It’s early on in the DUI part of the investigation but he is cooperating with the officers on that.”

Although Holmes didn’t have an estimate on the total cost of damages incurred during the collision, he said the cost will be significant because there was extensive damage done to the wall and the gate.

The Honda Accord was totaled and had to be towed from the scene.

Both northbound traffic lanes were closed for approximately an hour while crews worked to clear the scene.

“It’s pretty significant,” Holmes said, “for not wearing his seatbelt, he’s lucky to be alive.”

This report is based on preliminary information provided by the authorities and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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30 Comments

  • Redrock lover November 9, 2014 at 10:33 pm

    He’s lucky to be alive? I would say we are all lucky he didn’t kill or hurt someone else!

  • Sergio Quiroz November 9, 2014 at 10:35 pm

    me gustan la noticias pero en español ?mejor

    • Mike November 10, 2014 at 8:27 am

      You have got to be kidding.

    • DB November 10, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      Tienes que estar bromeando.

    • Excellent article November 10, 2014 at 5:44 pm

      Your in America.

      • munchie November 10, 2014 at 8:22 pm

        You’re in America.

    • dancing infidel November 11, 2014 at 8:11 am

      Aprende el ingles y te va mas bien.

  • Floyd Kitchen November 10, 2014 at 4:35 am

    If they don`t slow traffic down on Dixie Drive it is a matter of time before this happens again. It seems to many people think Dixie Drive is an interstate and the speed is horrible.

    • My Evil Twin November 10, 2014 at 10:47 am

      Maybe they need to put in speed bumps! Of course, then the idiots would just use them to see how far they could go airborne, I suppose.

  • dixiechick November 10, 2014 at 5:46 am

    1. Why do people feel the need to speed down Dixie Drive as if it were the Interstate? and 2. Is it a cultural thing here in Utah to not wear seatbelts??? I’ve never seen so many wrecks in the news that mention “no seatbelt worn”. As a former ICU nurse, I can assure you that not wearing it because you want to be “flung free” from the wreckage will increase your chances of being an organ donor. Of course, I don’t know why this guy wasn’t wearing his.

    • Visiting Anthropologist November 10, 2014 at 8:59 am

      Floyd and Dixiechick…I agree with both of you. I live on Dixie Drive and can’t believe what I see sometimes – not just speeding but ducking in and out of traffic (which also seems to be a local phenom – and I’ve driven in much worse traffic)…Rarely see a traffic cop on Dixie Drive, but they need to get over here more often. As for seatbelts, I have to laugh. One friend here complained like crazy every time I told him he had to fasten the seatbelt in my car. He’s a longtime resident and never fastens the seatbelt in his own car. I guess he thinks it’s another case of “government intervention.” What is it about this place?

    • Rachel November 10, 2014 at 9:56 am

      I’m not a nurse, but I personally have known people who have survived because they didn’t have their seat belt on (both of which were avid seat belt wearers and, for whatever reason, forgot that day. neither vehicle had enough room for them, so had they had their seat belts on, it would have killed them.) and a few people that would have survived had they been wearing a seat belt. I definitely agree that wearing seat belts in general is the safest thing to do, but I kind of also think that, when it is your time to go, its time to go and their isn’t much you can do about it. On the flip, I also believe that if it is not, then you won’t.

      • Mike November 10, 2014 at 12:30 pm

        Are you a gambler? If you are, you must love betting on the long shot. Getting ejected from a car crash is much more likely to kill someone than the rare occasion “the vehicle did not have enough room for them” and they were miraculously squeezed out of harm’s way. Great news about your lucky friends but the numbers show seat belts save more lives. (Whether or not the government should regulate it is an entirely diffent matter.)

  • Koolaid November 10, 2014 at 8:57 am

    Check craigslist to see if this car becomes another one of those heaps of junk listed as “like new condition” with an new car price tag. What was his big hurry?

  • Rachel November 10, 2014 at 9:59 am

    Um, author/editor, I don’t know the rules on blurring out the license plates for the accident victim’s vehicle, but I’m fairly certain that you need to blur out the plates of the BMW in the traffic back up photo. Unless you got permission from the driver. If that’s the case, then don’t mind me. 🙂

    • Avatar photo Joyce Kuzmanic November 10, 2014 at 1:20 pm

      Journalism ethics generally preclude the altering of news images, Rachel.
      I hope that helps,
      ST. GEORGE NEWS | STGnews.com
      Joyce Kuzmanic
      Editor in Chief

      • Mike November 10, 2014 at 3:12 pm

        That is a very broad statement, Joyce. Though I don’t agree for a need to edit the photo of the license plate, (on display in a public place,) photos are “edited” not “altered” in almost every media form. For instance, juvenile suspects faces are not shown, gore is not shown and in cases of fatal accidents where relatives are not yet notified, license plate numbers are often obviously edited out.

        • Avatar photo Joyce Kuzmanic November 10, 2014 at 3:51 pm

          There are exceptions, Mike, and I have made exceptions to the general rule. This is neither an occasion that would justify altering an image nor the proper forum to discuss the nuances of how ethics, law and precedent even, are applied to various circumstances. The general rule is that we don’t alter images.
          I think we’re on the same page,
          Joyce
          EIC

          • Mike November 11, 2014 at 10:43 am

            We are on the same page, indeed. Thank you for you diligence.

        • Tourista November 10, 2014 at 8:27 pm

          If the photo us taken from a location considered “public”, there is no requirement for the photographer to alter anything that a passerby could or would see from the sidewalk. Bodies and juveniles are often pixelated to obscure details, but the license plate is simply a courtesy and not a necessity.

      • dancing infidel November 11, 2014 at 8:20 am

        Hey that’s my BEAMER y’all are talking about. I don’t mind if it’s in the picture. STGNews has my permission to use the photo in this story. Thanks Joyce.

  • Zonkerb November 10, 2014 at 10:14 am

    KOOL AID hey you forgot to tell them to get a Carfax

  • Zonkerb November 10, 2014 at 10:17 am

    Good thing there wasn’t anybody from Footloose dancing out on the sidewalk

  • My Evil Twin November 10, 2014 at 10:46 am

    DUI, Speeding, No Seat Belt. IDIOT! Another would be Darwin Award candidate.

  • The Other Guy November 10, 2014 at 3:02 pm

    I drive this road to work everyday and I can confirm that the portion I travel is very well patrolled (at least in the morning hours). Although the general public wouldn’t recognize it as the primary patrol that I see is an undercover tan SUV. I hate it, because I like to drive 2-5 MPH above the posted limits and because I know the undercover officer is around I stick to the exact posted limit.

    Just don’t drive under the posted limit in front of me or your will catch my ire.

  • DB November 10, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    Jeez, that Honda looks like an abstract painting now. I feel that the current speed limit on Dixie is appropriate but few adhere to it, especially after the widening a couple years ago.

  • Dixie Dr ? November 10, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    What does Dixie Dr have different than any street for a speeding unbuckled drunk? Sorry people I don’t believe Dixie Dr caused the crash.

  • PROTECT THE SHEEP November 10, 2014 at 6:09 pm

    Expect this used auto at one of our fine local dealers listed in “like new” condition any day.

    • Koolaid November 11, 2014 at 9:08 am

      Some Bondo and a coat of paint ought to make it like new

      • PROTECT THE SHEEP November 11, 2014 at 4:05 pm

        *better than new

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