WASHINGTON CITY — Several people escaped serious injury Saturday evening after a hasty left turn in a busy intersection in Washington City triggered an initial crash that was followed by a secondary collision.
The crash was reported shortly after 7 p.m. at the intersection of Telegraph Street and Green Springs drive involving a white Cadillac Escalade, a black Jaguar and a pickup truck.
Paramedics arrived on scene and checked all of the vehicles’ occupants. An infant in the Cadillac and a child in the pickup truck were not injured, Washington City Police Sgt. Kory Klotz said, adding that a few other occupants suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
Everyone involved was wearing seat belts, which Klotz said dramatically reduced the severity of injuries.
“Thankfully, all occupants were properly restrained,” Klotz said, “including the infant in the Cadillac that was secured in a car seat and the minor riding in the front passenger’s seat in the pickup.”
Additional officers were called to the scene to direct traffic away from the intersection, Klotz said, noting that there was heavy rainfall and moderate traffic going through the intersection when the crash took place.
At the time of the crash, the Jaguar was heading south through the intersection while the Cadillac was northbound. Instead of continuing straight through the intersection, Klotz said the Cadillac driver “decided to make a left-hand turn at the last minute and turned directly in front of the Jaguar.”
Klotz said the Cadillac hit the Jaguar “nearly head-on,” which spun both vehicles around and left the Cadillac in the middle of the eastbound lane facing west, while the Jaguar came to rest in the middle of the intersection.
Immediately after impact, the driver of the Cadillac attempted to move her vehicle out of oncoming traffic, Klotz said, but when she did so, she hit the gas instead of the brakes, which launched the SUV forward where it struck the pickup truck that was stopped in the eastbound lane “basically head-on.”
Traffic was impacted for nearly an hour while responders tended to the scene and cleared the roadway. The Cadillac and the Jaguar sustained extensive damage and were towed from the scene, while the pickup truck remained operational.
The woman driving the Cadillac was later cited for failing to yield on a left-hand turn.
This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Washington City Police officers direct traffic away from a crash at the intersection of Telegraph and Green Springs in Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Cadillac Escalade is damaged after a three-vehicle crash at the Telegraph and Green Springs intersection, Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News In this 2019 file photo Gold Cross Ambulance responds nd Green Springs intersection, Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A Jaguar is towed after a three-vehicle crash at the Telegraph and Green Springs intersection, Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A Jaguar is towed after a three-vehicle crash at the Telegraph and Green Springs intersection, Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News A Jaguar sustains extensive damage after a three-vehicle crash at the Telegraph and Green Springs intersection, Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Washington City Police officers direct traffic away from a crash at the intersection of Telegraph and Green Springs in Washington City, Utah, March 2, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
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