ST. GEORGE — Police said a driver suspected of driving under the influence had his vehicle strike another near the Green Springs Drive exit of northbound Interstate 15, halting traffic for approximately an hour Saturday afternoon.
At about 4 p.m., a grey GMC Terrain, which was reported as speeding by witnesses, lost control and struck the rear and side of a white Mercury Milan. After they collided, both cars then hit the guard rail on the left, police said. The Milan spun to the right while the GMC rolled once and landed on its wheels.
Nobody was transported to the hospital as a result of the crash.
Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Jake Hicks said that the crash shut down the freeway for almost an hour. Upon investigation, he said the driver of the Terrain was found to be impaired.
“When we investigated, only minor injuries were involved. However, alcohol was involved and we investigated that for the driver of the Terrain,” Hicks said. “We determined the driver, an adult male, was impaired by alcohol and he was arrested for DUI and booked into the jail.”
The biggest thing Hicks brought up as a result of the crash was the traffic caused by the freeway closure and the traffic on surrounding side streets. Many of the cars were getting off the freeway and taking Red Hills Parkway or Telegraph Street through Washington City.
The on-ramp to the northbound 15 was closed as a result and the Washington City Police Department did traffic control on side streets near the accident.
“We had help like always from Washington County Sheriff’s Department and Washington City Police Department who assisted with the ramp closures,” Hicks said.
There were two dogs in the Mercury that spun during the crash and Hicks confirmed that the dogs were not injured as a result.
“The dogs were OK, they were just as happy as dogs can be,” Hicks said.
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