2 transported to hospital after motorcycle collides with car in Santa Clara

Scene of a collision involving a Volvo sedan and a Kawasaki motorcycle, Santa Clara, Utah, July 15, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two people were injured in a collision between a motorcycle and a car in Santa Clara on Thursday evening.

Scene of a collision involving a Volvo sedan and a Kawasaki motorcycle, Santa Clara, Utah, July 15, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The incident, which happened shortly before 7:30 p.m., involved a black Kawasaki motorcycle and a white Volvo sedan.

Santa Clara-Ivins Police Sgt. Nick Hallman said the motorcycle was the lead bike in a group of three that were traveling together, heading southbound on Country Lane. Meanwhile, the Volvo was on Hafen Lane, facing west and preparing to turn left onto Country Lane, Hallman said.

“As they approached the intersection of Hafen Lane and Country Lane, the white automobile at the stop sign pulled out in front of them,” Hallman told St. George News at the scene. “The lead motorcycle wasn’t able to stop in time and impacted their front corner panel.”

The driver of the motorcycle, who was wearing a helmet, sustained lacerations to his nose and other serious facial injuries, Hallman said.

“His face guard, his helmet, all that was shattered and broken,” Hallman said. “Without that helmet, it would have been his full head and face into the quarter panel of that car, which he hit hard enough that it cracked the helmet off.”

Hallman also mentioned the other safety equipment the rider was wearing. 

Scene of a collision involving a Volvo sedan and a Kawasaki motorcycle, Santa Clara, Utah, July 15, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“He had a nice safety vest on him and elbow gloves. Anything you’d want a rider to wear he had, and I’m sure that helped a lot as far as minimizing his injuries.”

Additionally, a female passenger on the motorcycle was thrown from the bike during the crash.

“She was rolled over the top, and she’s also been transported,” Hallman said, adding that the young woman’s injuries appeared to be minor. The passenger, who was also wearing a helmet, was taken to the hospital in the same ambulance as the driver.

Meanwhile, the female driver of the Volvo and her passenger were both uninjured, Hallman said, adding that the circumstances of the crash are still under investigation. 

“She may have stopped at the stop sign, but she’s saying she didn’t see the motorcycles when she came out,” Hallman said of the Volvo driver.

“There’s not a single brake mark on either side,” he said, adding, “If he (the motorcyclist) did make an evasive maneuver, it wasn’t hard enough to get him stopped.” 

Scene of a collision involving a Volvo sedan and a Kawasaki motorcycle, Santa Clara, Utah, July 15, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Hallman added that it doesn’t appear that anyone involved was traveling too fast.

“I think if they’d have been going at more of an excessive speed, we would have seen more damage, or you’d see the brakes lock up, and we’re not seeing that,” he said. “I don’t think speed was a factor.”

No citations have yet been issued, pending further investigation, Hallman said.

Although a tow truck was called to the scene, it wasn’t needed, as the motorcyclist’s friends pushed the damaged bike home. The Volvo appeared to still be operable, despite its broken windshield and dented front panel.

This report is based on preliminary 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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