Merging driver hit safety barrier before rolling pickup truck on I-15 in Cedar City, police say

Written by Jeff Richards
November 5, 2021

CEDAR CITY — A driver who police say was attempting to merge into traffic was injured in a rollover crash on Interstate 15 in Cedar City on Friday afternoon.

Scene of a single-vehicle rollover on Interstate 15, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 5, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The incident, which reportedly occurred shortly after 2 p.m., involved a white Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by a man in his early 70s.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Bambi Baie said the man had just entered southbound I-15 at Exit 62 and was speeding up to get ahead of traffic.

“He went all the way over into the left lane and hit the end piece to the structure there,” Baie said, referring to the safety barrier set up to prevent vehicles from entering the middle section of the roadway during ongoing construction work on the underpass.

After striking the barrier, the truck lost its front wheel and rolled multiple times, ultimately coming to rest upside-down in the right lane.

The driver was transported by ambulance to Cedar City Hospital for treatment of injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening, Baie said.

The Ford Ranger sustained significant damage and needed to be towed from the scene. UHP reported that one other vehicle, a pickup truck pulling a horse trailer, also sustained some damage in connection with the incident, although no people nor horses were hurt from that vehicle.

Baie said merging drivers should remember that they do not have the right of way.

“I see that all the time,” she said. “People are trying to merge and then they cut in front of you … you can’t do that.”

“Just because your lane is ending doesn’t mean you get to cut the other car off who’s already established in that lane,” Baie added. “They still have that right of way over you. People just need to remember that, and to be a little bit more courteous.”

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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