IRON COUNTY — A semitractor traveling without a trailer collided with a Jeep on northbound Interstate 15 Monday night, sending the Jeep’s occupants to the hospital.
The incident occurred just after 6:30 p.m. between mile marker 48 and the Hamilton Fort exit.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Ryan Bauer told Cedar City News that both vehicles were traveling in the right lane when the collision occurred.
“The Jeep was traveling significantly slower than the semi, and the semi collided with the back of the Jeep, which went off onto the shoulder and rolled,” Bauer said.
Both occupants of the Jeep reportedly sustained serious injuries. An Intermountain Life Flight helicopter transported the male driver to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, while the female passenger was transported to the same hospital via ground ambulance.
Bauer said the driver of the semi sustained a minor injury to his hand but was otherwise unharmed.
Northbound traffic on the interstate was delayed for more than an hour while responders tended to the injured and worked to clear the scene. The backup of vehicles stretched for approximately 2 miles by the time the road reopened, and traffic started to move again shortly before 8 p.m.
Both vehicles sustained significant damage and needed to be towed from the scene.
Although no citations had yet been issued as of late Monday night, the incident remains under investigation, Bauer said.
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Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
File photo of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a collision between a semitractor and a Jeep near mile marker 48 on northbound Interstate 15, Iron County, Utah, Feb. 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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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 three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.