ST. GEORGE — Traffic on southbound Interstate 15 was temporarily blocked due to a two-vehicle crash north of Exit 16 Monday evening, which sent two people to the hospital.
The incident was set into motion around 5 p.m. in the area of milepost 17 after traffic had begun to back up due to the construction work at the Exit 16/state Route 9 interchange, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Chris Terry said. One of the cars that was stopped was a Ford Fusion hybrid.
A Volkswagen Passat approaching the backup did not slow with the traffic ahead of it. The Passat’s driver told UHP troopers that the glare of the sun was in his eyes, making it so that he could not see the Fusion in time to prevent crashing into it.
The Passat rear-ended the Fusion, causing it to spin and roll as it went off the roadway from the impact. The Passat also went off the roadway but did not roll, Terry said.
It also appears that the impact caused the Fusion’s hybrid battery to spark and trigger a vehicle fire, further totaling the vehicle.
Firefighters were on hand to put out the vehicle fire.
The drivers, who were both wearing their seat belts, received moderate injuries and were taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center for care.
UHP troopers shut down both southbound lanes of traffic for approximately 10 minutes as they dealt with the crash site. The left lane was reopened soon after to allow traffic to pass through. At the time, southbound traffic was backed up for around 2 miles.
The driver of the Passat was cited for the incident, Terry said.
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