‘I felt just a real hard bam’: 1 sent to hospital after rear-end collision on I-15

CEDAR CITY — One person was transported to the hospital after a two-vehicle collision on the northbound side of Interstate 15 near Cedar City Thursday morning. 

The silver Buick that struck another vehicle from behind being towed from the scene of the collision on Interstate 15, Cedar City, July 16, 2020 | Photo by Kelsey Cooke, St George News / Cedar City News

Utah Highway Patrol, Iron County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar City Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the collision at approximately 10 a.m. near mile marker 67. Traffic was impacted until approximately noon. 

Trooper Bambi Baie told Cedar City News the collision occurred when a silver Buick hit the back of a trailer being hauled by a red Dodge truck, and the truck rolled into the median.

“Both vehicles were headed northbound, the truck and the trailer were in the right lane,” Baie said. “The driver of the silver Buick just obviously wasn’t paying attention and just drove right into the back of them. It caused these guys to lose control, roll.” 

Baie said the passenger in the truck was transported from the scene in an ambulance, but all other injuries were minor. 

“The female in the Dodge pickup truck was transported,” Baie said. “She had to be extricated and transported.”

Baie said the driver of the Buick did not have a driver’s license and was cited for causing the accident, driving without a license and giving false statements to law enforcement. 

A red Dodge truck towing a trailer rolled into the median on Interstate 15 after being struck from behind by another vehicle, Cedar City, July 16, 2020 | Photo by Kelsey Cooke, St George News / Cedar City News

“He and the other female passenger were lying about who was driving,” Baie said. 

The driver of the Dodge truck, Victor Moss, told Cedar City News he was traveling north for a camping trip. 

“I was driving northbound, towing my fifth wheel,” he said. “We were heading up for a camping trip.”

Moss said he felt the impact of the other vehicle on the trailer. 

“I felt just a real hard bam right into the back of the rig,” Moss said. “I felt the trailer jerk left, and it started going into a jackknife.” 

Moss said the trailer pulled the truck into the median, and the truck rolled one and a half times, but he was able to get out and check on his wife, who was in the passenger seat. 

“I was hanging by the seat belt,” Moss said. “I knew nothing was broken. I climbed out first because I knew I could do that and went back and checked on her.” 

Moss’ wife was the patient who had to be transported to the hospital. 

Don Western was traveling with Moss in a separate vehicle and told Cedar City News they were heading to Helper from Las Vegas.

“There were three of us in different vehicles, heading to a motorcycle campout in Helper,” Western said. “Normally we ride the bikes; because it’s so hot, we elected to bring our motorhomes.”

A tow truck working to clear the scene of a collision involving a red Dodge truck towing a trailer and a silver Buick on Interstate 15, Cedar City, July 16, 2020 | Photo by Kelsey Cooke, St George News / Cedar City News

Western was driving an RV, with a trailer for his motorcycles. 

Bob Bencsko was the other member of the campout party — he was driving an SUV and towing his motorcycle as well.

“I didn’t realize anything happened until I saw him go sideways in the road,” Bencsko told Cedar City News. “Once he hit the dirt, there was such a cloud of dust in the air.”

Bencsko said he immediately pulled over to check on Moss and his wife.

“I immediately just pulled over to the side of the road,” he said. “I had to wait for the dust to clear to be able to not get run over and make sure they were okay.”

Moss’ motorcycle was on the trailer he was towing and was heavily damaged in the collision.

Moss said his two dogs were in the truck at the time of the incident, and while one stayed with them, the other ran from the scene but was rescued by an Iron County Sheriff’s deputy.

“She got scared. She’s a really skittish dog,” Moss said. “They found her 7 miles down the road. Thank God for the Sheriff’s Department here, God bless them.” 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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