Good deed interrupted when driver rolls SUV on I-15

Black Mitsubishi Montero comes to rest upside-down on I-15 after rollover early Monday morning, Mohave County, Ariz., Jan. 1, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire District, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A man heading to Mesquite, Nevada, to pick up an intoxicated friend was injured when he rolled his SUV on Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Arizona, early Monday morning.

Black Mitsubishi Montero comes to rest upside-down on I-15 after rollover early Monday morning, Mohave County, Ariz., Jan. 1, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire District, St. George News

Shortly after 5:30 a.m., officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover on I-15 near mile marker 2 in Arizona involving a black 2002 Mitsubishi Montero.

Troopers found the SUV upside-down in the northbound lane of the interstate, with the driver outside of the SUV waiting for help to arrive.

The driver, a 29-year-old man from St. George, suffered lacerations to his scalp and hand, but declined transport to the hospital, telling responders he would seek medical care on his own, Arizona Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Bottoms said.

Troopers learned that the man was heading south from St. George to Mesquite to pick up a friend who had called him requesting a ride home because he was too intoxicated to drive.

While heading south, the SUV began drifting off of the right shoulder of the road and the driver over-corrected to the left, which sent the vehicle careening across both travel lanes and into the median.

The SUV then rolled and came to rest upside-down on the northbound side of I-15.

Beaver Dam/Littlefield firefighters and EMS gathered up a large number of tools that were scattered across the roadway, apparently thrown from the vehicle during the rollover, and returned them to the driver.

The driver estimated that he was going 75 to 80 mph when the car began to drift toward the shoulder, Bottoms said. He told troopers that he may have fallen asleep, but wasn’t sure what happened.

The Montero sustained extensive damage and was towed from the scene, while the driver was later cited for speed not reasonable and prudent to avoid a collision, Bottoms said.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety, Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire District and Ambulance 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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Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

 

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