SUV takes out tree, 100 feet of fencing on Red Cliffs Drive

ST. GEORGE — A driver and her two small children escaped serious injury when their vehicle struck one of the tall trees lining Red Cliffs Drive Thursday morning, taking more than 100 feet of fencing with it.

An Italian Cypress tree is cleared by firefighters and removed from the roadway following a single-vehicle crash on Red Cliffs Drive, St. George, Utah, Dec. 12, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Shortly before 10 a.m., officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash on Red Hills Parkway just north of Zion Outlet Stores. The crash involved a dark gray Subaru that struck one of the tall Italian Cypress trees that line the shoulder of the roadway.

Upon arrival, responders found the tree laying on top of the Subaru. The driver was bleeding from the nose, likely from an injury caused by the impact, while the two small children who were secured in their car seats were uninjured, St. George Police Officer Nathan Lemke said.

The driver declined to be transported to the hospital, telling police she would seek medical attention on her own.

At the time of the crash, the Subaru was heading south on Red Cliffs Drive when the vehicle went off the right shoulder of the roadway, jumped the curb and struck a tree that toppled over and broke into two pieces. The Subaru’s airbags deployed upon impact.

Lemke said the driver left the roadway, “for an unknown reason; we’re not sure at this point.”

All occupants were properly restrained at the time of the incident, and no citations were issued at the scene.

The vehicle sustained extensive damage and was subsequently towed from the scene, while more than 100 feet of fencing was also destroyed or damaged during the crash. A single southbound travel lane was closed to allow responders to tend to the scene, which had little impact on traffic.

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

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