ST. GEORGE — Three were injured in two separate crashes reported hours apart along Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Arizona.
The first crash was reported shortly before 5 p.m. MST Thursday on southbound I-15 just south of Littlefield involving a silver passenger car with two occupants and a large Mercedes tour van carrying a family of six, including four children, Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Chief Jeff Hunt said.
The wife of the man driving the passenger car told emergency medical personnel that her husband lost consciousness as they were heading south on the interstate, and then “just woke up after he hit a few things,” Hunt said.
The vehicle appeared to have struck the van and then veered off the road where it struck several orange traffic barrels before bouncing back toward the median where it came to rest. The impact pushed the bike rack loaded with two mountain bikes into the back of the van.
The two adults in the van reported neck soreness, Hunt said, while the children, who were properly restrained at the time of the crash, reported no injuries and no one was transported to the hospital.
The driver of the passenger car, who regained consciousness during the crash, was able to maneuver the car out of the roadway and was then transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center by ambulance, accompanied by his wife, “primarily to be evaluated for a possible cardiac issue that may have caused him to lose consciousness,” Hunt said.
Approximately 10 hours later, emergency crews were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on northbound I-15 near mile marker 9 in Littlefield shortly before 3 a.m. Friday, after a converted school bus was struck by a red four-door passenger car.
The driver of the converted bus reported he was uninjured in the crash, while the passenger in the red vehicle suffered a compound dislocation to her hand, which likely resulted from her putting her hand up just before impact, Hunt said.
At the time of the collision, it appeared that passenger car was heading north and struck the converted bus, which was traveling roughly 15 miles per hour with rear taillights that were not operating properly, Hunt said.
“The passenger car was going freeway speeds when it basically slammed into the bus,” Hunt said.
The driver of the bus told responders he had recently taken the converted school bus out of storage and was driving it to Salt Lake City.
The woman in the passenger car was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center for evaluation and treatment, accompanied by the driver who reported minor injuries as well.
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Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department and Arizona Highway Patrol respond to a two-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Ariz., Feb. 21, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department, St. George News Bike handle is pushed through rear window of Mercedes van during a two-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Ariz., Feb. 21, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department, St. George News Passenger car is heavily damaged after it hits a school bus on northbound Interstate 15 in Littlefield, Ariz., Feb. 21, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department, St. George News Passenger car is heavily damaged in two-vehicle crash with a Mercedes tour bus on southbound Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Ariz., Feb. 21, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department, St. George News Passenger car is heavily damaged in two-vehicle crash with a Mercedes tour bus on southbound Interstate 15 near Littlefield, Ariz., Feb. 21, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department, St. George News
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