Driver arrested on charges of driving under influence of drugs after ramming into hill, blocking traffic

ST. GEORGE — A driver suspected by police of being under the influence of drugs veered his pickup into the side of a hill Friday morning, with the chain reaction causing his pickup to fall onto its side and block a portion of Indian Hills Drive.

A scuff in the side of the hill where a pickup truck crashed on South Indian Hills Drive, St. George, Utah, Aug. 20, 2021 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Officers and witnesses said the Nissan pickup, with only the driver inside, was traveling south around the 800 block of South Indian Hills Drive when it veered into the side of the hill next to the northbound lanes as it came around a curve.

The passenger side front wheel well left a flattened dirt mark on the side of the hill where it hit, and the vehicle then rolled back into the southbound lane and ended up on its side. 

Police arrested the pickup driver on charges of driving under the influence.

“It wasn’t drinking, it was drugs,” St. George Police Officer Bryan Hendrix said. “That’s pretty unusual for a Friday morning. I expect it more on a Monday after someone has been partying all weekend.”

A pickup truck involved in a rollover crash on South Indian Hills Drive is towed away, St. George, Utah, Aug. 20, 2021 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Hendrix added that the pickup driver said he was only driving 45 mph at the time of the incident.

“It takes a lot more to end up there than going 45,” Hendrix said.

The St. George Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance also responded to the scene, though neither the driver or anyone else was injured. 

The incident, which took place around 9:30 a.m., was cleared an hour later.

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

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

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