Crashes, deer and DUIs keep responders busy into the night

Blue Toyota passenger car hits center median and careens off Interstate 15 near mile marker 11 Saturday, Washington City, Utah, July 8, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY — Law enforcement officers, EMS, firefighters and UDOT’s Incident Management Team were kept busy over the weekend as they went from one scene to another starting Friday night and continuing into Saturday morning.

The first incident was reported at 8:45 p.m. Friday. Officers responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a car that struck a deer on state Route 18 near mile marker 20 in Veyo, Sgt. Nate Abbott from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department said.

Approximately 165 feet of guardrail on the inside shoulder is damaged on Interstate 15 near Exit 16 during rollover Saturday, Washington City, Utah, July 8, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

The vehicle’s two occupants were properly restrained and reported no injuries, Abbott said. The vehicle sustained minimal damage and was driven from the scene. The deer did not survive the crash.

The next incident was reported shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday and involved a crash on southbound Interstate 15 near Exit 16 where a driver struck the guard rail and rolled his Dodge Charger with two juvenile passengers inside.

Only one minor injury was reported, and the man was later arrested for DUI as reported by St. George News.

Read more: Driver takes out 190 feet of guardrail on I-15 with 2 kids in car

Officers on the interstate were still wrapping up the Exit 16 crash just before 2 a.m. when another crash was reported on the northbound side of I-15 a few miles away, near mile marker 11, involving a dark blue passenger car.

This coincided with a previous call to the St. George Communications Center reporting a reckless driver who was seen entering the interstate heading north after leaving a parking lot in Washington City. An “attempt to locate” page went out to authorities who then began looking for the driver.

Police and emergency personnel headed toward the wreck at mile marker 11 and found a dark blue Toyota in the dirt near the outside shoulder of the interstate.

Finding the driver uninjured, officers began investigating the crash and determined that the man driving the Toyota veered to the left before striking the concrete median.

The impact sent the car careening sharply to the right before going off the shoulder and into the dirt where it came to rest.

The Toyota matched the 911 caller’s description of the reckless driver, Abbott said, as well as the proximity between the crash and where the driver was reported to have entered the interstate.

During the investigation the driver showed possible signs of impairment, Abbott said.

The man was later arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility for suspected DUI. No injuries were reported in the crash.

While still on scene at mile marker 11 a call came in reporting a rollover on the southbound side of I-15 near mile marker 25 by Leeds involving a compact passenger car. Several deputies went from mile marker 11 directly to the incident and were joined by EMS and fire department personnel.

Upon arrival responders found the car significantly damaged on the outside shoulder of the interstate. The driver and his passenger were uninjured.

The vehicle was heading south when the car went off of the right shoulder of the interstate and began to roll. Both occupants were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

“That vehicle rolled multiple times,” Abbott said, “so it was pretty fortunate that they didn’t sustain any injuries let alone something significant or severe.”

Shortly before 3 a.m. as officers were still tending to the mile marker 25 rollover a call came in reporting a single-vehicle crash with injuries more than 45 miles away on state Route 18 near mile marker 32. The crash involved a car that collided with a deer.

Several deputies and emergency personnel responded directly to the SR-18 crash to assist as officers finished up on the interstate.

The injured passenger in the vehicle was transported by ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center for evaluation and treatment. The driver and another passenger reported no injuries, and all were properly restrained when the crash occurred.

The deer did not survive the crash.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washington City Police Department, Utah Department of Transportation’s Incident Management Team, Washington City Fire Department, Hurricane Fire and Rescue and Northwest Fire District responded and tended to the crashes.

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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Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • Proud Rebel July 9, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    Did you love the “Bump For Joy” ride at the carnival, when you were a kid? Well, Utah’s Dixie has its very own Bump For Joy! We call it I-15.

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