ST. GEORGE — A driver was flown to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash on northbound Interstate 15 in Iron County, while a driver was killed in a rollover involving an SUV versus a semitractor-trailer in Tooele County. Both crashes occurred Tuesday.
In the Southern Utah incident, a Chevrolet Equinox was traveling south on I-15 near mile marker 68 shortly before 4 p.m. when, according to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jesse Williams, the Chevrolet crossed over the median for reasons unknown and struck the a Buick passenger car heading north.
The two vehicles struck nearly head-on, which resulted in major damage to the two vehicles and the extraction of both drivers from the their respective vehicles.
Williams said the man driving the Chevrolet told troopers he remembered hitting the rumble strips, but “he didn’t remember anything else from that point on.”
The woman driving the Buick sustained serious injuries and was flown by Intermountain Life Flight to Dixie Regional Medical Center, while the driver of the Chevrolet was transported to Cedar City Hospital by ambulance.
All northbound travel lanes on the interstate were temporarily shut down while Life Flight remained on the ground, and one lane was reopened shortly thereafter.
No citations have been issued, Williams said, but the case was turned over to the Iron County Attorney’s Office for review.
Fatal crash Tooele County
A couple hundred miles to the north, responders were dispatched to a fatal rollover on Interstate 80 at near milepost 81 just north of Rowley Junction in Tooele County.
At the time of the crash, a 2000 Chevy Blazer and a Freightliner semi were traveling west. According to a statement released by Utah Highway Patrol, the Blazer was traveling at approximately 35 mph due to a separated tire, and it was struck by the semi that came up behind the SUV at 75 mph.
The semi struck the rear of the slower-moving SUV, which spun the Blazer off the right shoulder of the roadway where it rolled. The driver, 53-year-old Kristina Martinez of Tooele, was ejected during the rollover and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The semi swerved into the median and also rolled, the statement said, causing minor injuries to the driver, who was treated at the scene.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.