Allegedly reckless driver goes airborne, rolls off I-15

MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. – Law enforcement officials said a single-car rollover Wednesday on Interstate 15 just south of the Utah-Arizona border was caused by reckless driving and excessive speed. The driver was injured in the crash.

Law enforcement officials say a single-car rollover on Interstate 15 just south of the Utah-Arizona border that left one man injured Wednesday morning was caused by reckless driving, Mohave County, Arizona, March 15, 2017 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News

“The witnesses reported the vehicle was traveling in excess of 90 miles per hour,” Arizona Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Bottoms said, “cutting in between vehicles, changing lanes frequently just to go around other traffic.”

The crash occurred at about 11 a.m. MST, or noon MDT, near Arizona mile marker 29, in the northbound lane of I-15 approximately a mile south of the Utah-Arizona Port of Entry.

“They (the witnesses) indicated he tried to squeeze in between two cars, lost control and began to fishtail, left the roadway and rolled over one time,” Bottoms said, adding, “He came off the road sideways, traveled into the dirt, hit the berm here and finished his rollover.”

See video in media player top of this report.

The vehicle was briefly airborne before hitting a large earthen berm about six feet off the ground, Bottoms said. The berm prevented the car from rolling into the southbound lanes of I-15.

Law enforcement officials say a single-car rollover on Interstate 15 just south of the Utah-Arizona border that left one man injured Wednesday morning was caused by reckless driving, Mohave County, Arizona, March 15, 2017 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News

The 44-year-old man driving the dark blue Honda Accord told officers he was on his way to Salt Lake City to turn himself in for criminal charges he is facing, Bottoms said.

In addition, the man had a warrant for his arrest in Utah and is a registered sex offender in Nevada, Bottoms said.

The driver, who is from Las Vegas, will be cited for failure to control the speed of his vehicle to avoid a collision or speed not reasonable or prudent for the conditions.

“Obviously, the legal speed to have a collision in Arizona is zero miles per hour, so anything over 1 mile an hour is technically unlawful to have an accident. If it wasn’t his fault or something, it would be different,” Bottoms said, “but all three witnesses described the man driving recklessly and at high speed.”

The driver, who was complaining of chest and abdominal pain, was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center by a Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire District ambulance.

Law enforcement officials say a single-car rollover on Interstate 15 just south of the Utah-Arizona border that left one man injured Wednesday morning was caused by reckless driving, Mohave County, Arizona, March 15, 2017 | Photo by Julie Applegate, St. George News

The man was wearing a seat belt, which kept him inside the vehicle during the rollover and likely saved his life – or at the very least, prevented serious injury, Bottoms said. Airbags on both front seats deployed in the crash.

Personnel from St. George Fire Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety and Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire District responded to the accident.

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, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

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1 Comment

  • utahdiablo March 15, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    What a POS….90 MPH, only 10 over in Utah now….hey Udot, how about rasing the state speed limit to 85, help a guy out….Oh, I wonder why we have so many crashes? says the Udot official…

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