Cellphone distraction yields I-15 guardrail collision

Driver slams into guardrail on northbound Interstate 15 near milepost 13, Washington County, Utah, Nov. 8, 2015 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

WASHINGTON CITY — Traffic along Interstate 15 slowed to a halt Sunday evening when a woman crashed into a guardrail after becoming distracted by a cellphone.

Driver slams into guardrail on northbound Interstate 15 near milepost 13, Washington County, Utah, Nov. 8, 2015 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Driver slams into guardrail on northbound Interstate 15 near milepost 13, Washington County, Utah, Nov. 8, 2015 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Just before 5 p.m., the northbound woman lost control of her Nissan Altima and crashed into the guardrail near milepost 13, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Mike Murphy said.

Witnesses said they observed the woman using her cellphone just before the crash, Murphy said, and tried to warn the woman that she was veering into their lane.

Distracted by her phone, the woman began drifting into the left lane of traffic, Murphy said. She then overcorrected and crashed into the guardrail.

Witnesses pulled over after the collision to check on the woman, and provided eye-witness statements to authorities.

The Nissan’s airbags deployed and the woman was uninjured during the crash, Murphy said. The collision caused extensive front-end damage to the Nissan, which was towed from the scene.

The woman was issued a citation for failure to operate within a single-lane of travel, as well as using a mobile device while driving, Murphy said.

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.

 

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5 Comments

  • anonymous November 8, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    More citations on using a mobile device while driving should be given. Almost 90% of people here is Saint George use a cell phone while driving. Not only do they veer off, they slow down suddenly. It’s a huge distraction and a danger to them and anyone near the people driving and using a cell phone. No one should be texting or talking on the phone while driving!

    • Rainbow Dash November 9, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      I would say it’s more like 95% of locals either drive distracted or tailgate.

  • .... November 8, 2015 at 9:36 pm

    Quit your whining and answer the phone like the rest of us do

  • Common Sense November 9, 2015 at 7:02 am

    She’s not going to like how high her interest rates are going to become now.

  • tcrider November 9, 2015 at 9:40 am

    two leading causes for accidents in saint george are: cell phones and tailgating, I bet the police could really use this as a source of income for the city if they would start handing out more tickets, and then we could lower property taxes.
    most of the people use cell phones and tailgate are all local, people from out of town and larger metro areas are good drivers and know how to drive in congested traffic, its when I come back to this city, is where I see the absolute worst drivers in the world

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