Early morning rollover sends 1 to hospital

A red Kia Optima rolls on SR-9 early Friday morning after the driver falls asleep, Rockville, Utah, July 7, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A woman was transported to the hospital after an early Friday morning rollover in Rockville that was triggered when the driver fell asleep at the wheel, officials said.

Shortly before 6 a.m. officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover on Main Street in Rockville that involved a red Kia Optima, Springdale-Zion Canyon Department of Public Safety’s Public Information Officer Britt Ballard said.

Rockville/Springdale Fire Protection responds to a single-vehicle rollover on SR-9 early Friday morning, Rockville, Utah, July 7, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

A man traveling behind the Kia witnessed the crash and called 911, the officer said.

Upon arrival emergency responders found a severely damaged Kia smashed into a concrete culvert. The vehicle was also partially blocking a travel lane.

The driver told EMT’s that she “hurt all over,” Ballard said. She was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries to her shoulder, elbow and knee.

A witness at the scene also noted a small laceration to the woman’s head.

Officers determined that the woman was heading to Springdale when the vehicle veered to the right and into a ditch before striking a concrete culvert. The culvert caught the vehicle’s wheel during impact which caused the car to roll one time before it struck the culvert a second time as it crashed, landing in an upright position.

The driver told officers that she fell asleep behind the wheel just before the car went into the ditch, Ballard said. She was not wearing a set belt at the time of the crash.

The Kia was towed from the scene.

Northbound traffic was impacted for nearly an hour while responders and cleared wreckage from the roadway.

Springdale-Zion Canyon Department of Public Safety, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Rockville/Springdale Fire Protection responded and tended to the scene.

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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2 Comments

  • Caveat_Emptor July 7, 2017 at 4:59 pm

    In some ways this lady was fortunate that she fell asleep on this relatively quiet stretch, with a modest speed limit. The consequences could have been much more severe further west…..

  • comments July 7, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    havin’ a nice little nappy time behind the wheel?

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