ST. GEORGE — An attempt to test the four-wheel capabilities of a Dodge pickup got it stuck in middle of the Virgin River Monday afternoon.
Around 2:15 p.m., first responders received a report that a truck was in the Virgin River just below the Interstate 15 overpass around milepost 5.
Initial reports were unclear at first if the truck had ended up in the river after running off the interstate or was originally below the overpass, St. George Fire Battalion Chief Robert Hooper said.
“Once we arrived on scene we found that vehicle had been just down driving underneath to overpass and tried to cross (the river) and wasn’t able to quite make it,” Hooper said.
While the Dodge truck became partly submerged, a friend of the driver attempted to pull the Dodge out with his Toyota Tundra. The Tundra ended up getting stuck in the mud on the river bank.
The driver of the Tundra, who identified himself as Jack, said his friend had just bought the Dodge from someone in the nearby Walmart parking lot. The seller encouraged them to check out the truck’s four-wheel drive.
“He almost made it across the river,” Jack said, adding he didn’t think the Dodge’s four-wheel drive kicked in at the time.
Aside from some embarrassment and what one responder called a “case of the Mondays,” no injuries resulted from the incident.
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A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George
A Dodge pickup truck ended up stuck and partly submerged in the Virgin River after an attempt to cross the waterway came up short, St. George, Utah, Nov. 12, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Tom Schultz, St. George
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
As if we already didn’t know that Dodge has big reliability problems!
Without any weight in the back, the bed would float a bit and not give traction. Lesson learned!
I dunno what for, but better write him a ticket for something.
Billy, the ticket should be for driving a Dodge.
Let me make a guess, you drive a three year old Honda Ridgeline.
Back before I-15 we used to cross here to get into town. The river has quicksand and you had to know where and how to cross. We didn’t have 4-wheel drive either. One story (don’t know if it’s true) was that someone tried to cross and got into the quicksand and that by the time he walked to town to get help and come back the vehicle had succumbed to the river.