2 injured, dog killed in head-on crash near Mall Drive

A Chrysler passenger car is extensively damaged during a two-vehicle crash that injured the driver and killed a dog, St. George, Utah, April 21, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two drivers were injured and a dog was killed in a head-on crash that police and witnesses say resulted when one driver suspected of DUI went into a curve at a high rate of speed and veered into oncoming traffic near Mall Drive Sunday evening.

Chevrolet passenger car sustains extensive damage in a head-on crash on East Dinosaur Crossing Drive, St. George, Utah, April 21, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. a witness called 911 to report that a vehicle crashed and went off the road on East Dinosaur Crossing Drive near the corner of 2200 West.

Emergency personnel discovered that the crash involved two vehicles: a blue Chevrolet passenger vehicle that was several feet from the roadway and a red Chrysler passenger vehicle smashed into the sidewalk.

Responders also found the Chrysler driver injured and sitting on the ground near her vehicle, and inside the car they found a dog that was killed in the crash.

According to witness statements, the Chrysler was heading west on Dinosaur Crossing Drive while the Chevrolet was just pulling out away from the curb heading east on the same street.

A Chrysler passenger car is extensively damaged during a two-vehicle crash that injured the driver and killed a dog, St. George, Utah, April 21, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

The 18-year-old driver in the Chevrolet told St. George News she pulled out slowly as she looked for a safe place to turn around, which is when she said she noticed the Chrysler going “crazy fast” around the curve just before it veered into the eastbound lane and struck her car head-on.

The impact spun both vehicles and sent the Chevrolet crashing down a small embankment where it came to rest several feet from the roadway, while the Chrysler crashed into the sidewalk.

The impact deployed the airbags in both vehicles. The Chevrolet driver said the airbag deployment blocked her vision, and it took a second to realize what had just happened.

A man who witnessed the crash ran over to check on the occupants, and after checking both teens in the Chevrolet he went to help the driver in the Chrysler who was heard screaming after the crash.

The woman driving the Chrysler was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center with possible head injuries while police requested that an animal control officer respond to the scene.

The two teens in the Chevrolet initially reported they were uninjured, but the driver later reported a possible knee injury.

The woman driving the Chrysler was suspected of DUI, St. George Police Sgt. Jace Hutchings said at the scene. The incident is still under investigation and officers responded to the hospital to speak to the driver.

Both vehicles were totaled in the crash and later towed from the scene.

This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

 

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