WASHINGTON COUNTY – Slick road conditions contributed to a vehicle rollover on state Route 59 near Hildale Monday.
While rain pelted St. George and the surrounding area Monday morning, higher elevations received snow. With that snow came slush on the section of SR-59 heading toward Hildale.
Around 9:30 a.m., a pickup truck hit a patch of slush on SR-59 which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, veer off the road and roll onto its roof, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Mowers said.
The teenage driver and others in the pickup were buckled in at the time of the accident and were able to walk away unharmed. The same could not be said for the pickup and the fence it ran into alongside the road.
Mowers credited the use of the seat belts with helping the truck’s occupants escape harm.
The incident occurred when the driver tried to pass a truck pulling a trailer that was going slower than the post speed limit of 60-65 mph. While trying to pass the truck and trailer the truck’s driver hit the slush and a short-lived and chaotic dance of road ballet was had.
“Please, when roads are slushy and slick, just slow down,” Mowers said. “You’re better off getting there a couple minutes late than not at all.”
The teen driver was not issued a citation due to the incident being ruled an accident by UHP.
Traffic in both directions on SR-59 was impacted for about an hour.
The Hildale Fire Department also responded to the scene.
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Hitting a patch of slush on SR-59 near milepost 7 caused a pickup's driver to lose control and veer off the roadway near Hildale and ultimately roll the vehicle, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Traffic on SR-59 was stalled for a short time as the Utah Highway Patrol and Hildale Fire Department dealt with a single-vehicle rollover near milepost 7, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Hitting a patch of slush on SR-59 near milepost 7 caused a pickup's driver to lose control and veer off the roadway near Hildale and ultimately roll the vehicle, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Traffic on SR-59 was stalled for a short time as the Utah Highway Patrol and Hildale Fire Department dealt with a single-vehicle rollover near milepost 7, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Hitting a patch of slush on SR-59 near milepost 7 caused a pickup's driver to lose control and veer off the roadway near Hildale and ultimately roll the vehicle, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Hitting a patch of slush on SR-59 near milepost 7 caused a pickup's driver to lose control and veer off the roadway near Hildale and ultimately roll the vehicle, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Hitting a patch of slush on SR-59 near milepost 7 caused a pickup's driver to lose control and veer off the roadway near Hildale and ultimately roll the vehicle, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Hitting a patch of slush on SR-59 near milepost 7 caused a pickup's driver to lose control and veer off the roadway near Hildale and ultimately roll the vehicle, Washington County, Jan. 23, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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That section of road from Hildale to just before Hurricane is very dangerous, even more so at night with stupid drivers passing people who are already going the 60 – 65 mph posted speed limit because they want to drive faster….get out there and ticket these people more often UHP, slow them the hell down before more people get killed.