ST. GEORGE — The occupants of a Toyota Prius were seriously injured Tuesday afternoon following a collision with a tow truck in Iron County.
The crash occurred around 12:20 p.m. at the intersection of Midvalley Road and state Route 130, also known as the Minersville Highway. According to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Ryan Bauer, the Prius was eastbound on Midvalley Road while the tow truck was southbound on SR-130.
The driver of the Prius stopped at the intersection and then decided to move forward, Bauer said, explaining that they either didn’t see the oncoming tow truck or misjudged the distance, which resulted in the tow truck hitting the driver side of the Prius in a T-bone collision.
The occupants of the Prius suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, Bauer said. They were taken to Cedar City Hospital by ambulance, and from there, the driver was flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George by an Intermountain Life Flight helicopter crew.
Each occupant in the Prius was wearing a seat belt, and the side airbags were activated on impact, which Bauer said prevented the injuries from being worse.
The driver of the tow truck was unharmed.
This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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A map of the general area where a collision between a tow truck and Toyota Prius occurred Iron County, Utah | Map courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News
The aftermath of a collision between a tow truck and Toyota Prius at the intersection of Midvalley Road and state Route 130 in Enoch, Utah, July 30, 2019 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
The aftermath of a collision between a tow truck and Toyota Prius at the intersection of Midvalley Road and state Route 130 in Enoch, Utah, July 30, 2019 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
An Intermountain Life Flight helicopter takes a seriously injured patient to Dixie Regional Medical Center following a crash in Enoch, Utah, July 30, 2019 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won an award for photojournalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing ferals bees from a Washington City home. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction.