3 hospitalized after series of crashes brings I-15 to a standstill near New Harmony

ST. GEORGE — Three people were injured Wednesday afternoon in a series of crashes along Interstate 15 near New Harmony that caused traffic congestion and brought southbound lanes to a standstill.

A Honda Civic involved in a crash on southbound Interstate 15 near New Harmony, Utah, May 12, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

A total of seven vehicles were involved in the crashes, Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randy Riches told St. George News. Just before 2 p.m., a boom truck was traveling northbound near milepost 45 when it blew a tire and swerved across the median into southbound traffic and collided with a Honda Civic, Riches said.

“Fortunately, it was not quite a head-on collision,” he said. “It was more of a glancing collision. The boom truck continued across the lanes and stopped on the west side of freeway.”

Two people from the crash were transported to the hospital by ambulance, Riches said. Shortly afterward, a vehicle traveling northbound on I-15 slowed down while passing the scene and was struck from behind by another vehicle, which caused it to strike a box trailer, Riches said.

While authorities responded to the second scene, southbound traffic was stopped. At which point, Riches said a semitractor-trailer traveling southbound slowed down near milepost 46 and was struck from behind at a high speed by a Ford pickup truck.

A Honda Civic involved in a crash on southbound Interstate 15 near New Harmony, Utah, May 12, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The driver of the Ford sustained serious injuries and was flown to the St. George Regional Hospital by Life Flight, Riches said.

Southbound lanes were closed until about 4:30 p.m., and traffic may still be backed up for several miles as of the time of this report. Northbound traffic is open and flowing normally. Riches asked drivers in the area to slow down.

Just slow down, be patient, don’t get in a rush,” he said. “We’re seeing really high speeds lately and we just need people to slow down, be patient and get to where they’re going safely.”

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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

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