Driver flown to hospital after careening down embankment just south of St. George

ST. GEORGE — A driver was flown to the hospital on Friday with serious injuries following a crash in Mohave County Arizona, more than 30 miles south of St. George. Shortly after, a fire engine was struck in a secondary crash as responders tended to the chaotic scene.

Dodge passenger car is found more than 30 yards from the roadway with an injured driver inside following a crash on Scenic Boulevard in Mohave County, Ariz., May 7, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire and Rescue, St. George News

Just before 11:30 a.m. MST, officers and emergency personnel responded to a single vehicle crash reported on Scenic Boulevard near Littlefield, Arizona, where they found a black Dodge car severely damaged down an embankment more than 30 yards from the roadway, Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper Thomas Callister said.

Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire and Rescue also responded. When firefighters reached the vehicle, they found the driver seriously injured and trapped inside. Using hydraulic tools, crews were able to extricate the man from the mangled wreckage, while Intermountain Life Flight responded and landed in the middle of the roadway.

The driver was loaded into the helicopter and flown to St. George Regional Hospital in serious condition. The man sustained multiple fractures, including a fractured femur and a deep laceration to his leg. He also sustained head injuries and an injury to one of his lungs.

Callister said at the time of the crash, the Dodge was heading northwest on Scenic Boulevard into Mohave County at a high rate of speed as it approached the bridge that crosses over the Virgin River.

Instead of continuing over the bridge, Callister said, the driver, “for reasons unknown,” swerved to the right and went off the roadway where it continued down a steep embankment.

The car came to rest in an upright position at the bottom of the ravine near the river.

Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire Department’s Engine 11 is damaged when a passing motorist strikes it following a crash on Scenic Boulevard in Mohave County, Ariz., May 7, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire and Rescue, St. George News

As responders were tending to the scene, a Beaver Dam-Littlefield fire engine was struck by a passing motorist who reportedly had their eyes turned toward the scene. As soon as the truck pulled out into traffic it was struck on the front driver’s side bumper, a portion of which was bent and buckled away from the vehicle in the process. The frame of the fire engine was also damaged in the crash.

The fire engine was less than two years old and was delivered to Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire and Rescue in October 2019. The front of the truck sustained extensive damage, while the entire passenger’s side of the silver car that struck the engine was demolished in the crash.

Authorities said the woman and her 5-week-old infant in the silver Hyundai were properly restrained at the time of the incident. Both were checked out by emergency medical personnel at the scene and declined to be transported to the hospital.

The Dodge from the original crash was pulled from the ravine and towed from the roadway. The incident is still under investigation by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. Mesquite Fire Department also responded and assisted in extricating the driver from the Dodge.

This report is based on statements from police, emergency personnel or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.  

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!