3 pickup trucks damaged in rear-end collision on River Road; 1 driver hospitalized

Written by Jeff Richards
April 29, 2019
Emergency personnel prepare to transport an injured driver from the scene of a three-vehicle collision on River Road, St. George, Utah, April 29, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A three-vehicle collision on River Road Monday afternoon resulted in one of the drivers being transported to the hospital.

Dodge Ram pickup with an attached trailer loaded with trusses at the scene of a three-vehicle collision on River Road, St. George, Utah, April 29, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The incident occurred shortly after noon near 3600 S. River Road, on the northbound side of the road.

St. George Police officer Andy Mickelson said that at the time of the collision, traffic was backed up in the northbound lanes all the way to the stoplight a couple blocks north (where River Road intersects with Brigham Road).

“We had heavy traffic on south River Road going northbound,” Mickelson told St. George News. “Traffic was backed up from the light and slowing. We had some traffic stopped and a red Ford truck was slowing for traffic at about 25 miles an hour.”

At that point, Mickelsen said, the driver of a second pickup truck, a gray Dodge Ram pulling a large trailer loaded with wood trusses, came up from behind and struck the red Ford F150 pickup and sent it into a third vehicle, which was another gray Dodge Ram pickup.

Mickelson said the driver of the Dodge Ram pulling the trailer said he “looked over his shoulder and at his right mirror to change lanes.”

“When he looked back, traffic was slowing,” Mickelson said. “He was rapidly approaching and hit his brakes; his brakes locked up. We’ve got some chip seal down here and the roadway’s wet, so he’s going a little too fast for conditions. His brakes lock up, he slides, runs into the back of one vehicle, pushing it off of the road and into another vehicle, before all vehicles come to rest.”

Scene of a three-vehicle collision on River Road, St. George, Utah, April 29, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Mickelson said the Dodge driver who rear-ended the Ford received a citation for following too close and driving too fast for conditions.

Each of the three pickup trucks had a male driver as its sole occupant. Both of the Dodge drivers escaped injury, but the driver of the Ford was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center by Gold Cross Ambulance for treatment of unspecified injuries.

Rescue personnel had to extricate the injured man from his vehicle using hydraulic tools, as the truck’s doors were unable to be opened following the collision. Multiple airbags were deployed in the Ford, which sustained both heavy front- and rear-end damage.

In addition, the first Dodge Ram pickup sustained heavy front-end damage, although its trailer and load of trusses appeared unscathed. The other Dodge sustained moderate rear-end damage, but it was the only one of the three vehicles involved that was still operable and able to be driven away from the scene. The other two trucks needed to be towed.

Traffic in the area was impacted for about an hour while St. George police and fire personnel worked to clear the area.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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