ST. GEORGE — A triple-car crash occurred near mile 9 of southbound Interstate 15 and triggered holiday weekend traffic that was already heavy to back up for over a mile Friday night as responders dealt with it and other crashes.
The triple-car crash involved a blue passenger car, a pickup truck and a white Ford SUV, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Jessop said.
The call on this crash came in around 7 p.m. while Jessop was wrapping up a fender-bender between two cars in the area of Exit 13. That crash has involved one car slowing down while the one behind it failed to stop in time and rear-ended it, Jessop said.
The triple-car collision at mile 9 was a similar situation. The driver of the blue passenger car was slowing at it approached the Exit 8 off-ramp into St. George. Jessop said the driver of the pickup behind the blue car followed suit, while the driver of the Ford SUV did not.
“The SUV came in hot and didn’t stop,” Jessop said.
The impact of the SUV into the back of the pickup launched it forward into and past the blue passenger car as it shot off the roadway and up the embankment by the roadside. The back-end of the blue car was heavily damaged while the same happened to the front-end of the Ford SUV.
While debris was scattered across the three lanes of traffic, the far-western lane along the shoulder was closed due to the vehicles stuck there after the crash.
As responders dealt with the scene, traffic backed up for over a mile, though slowly moved forward.
Of those involved in the crash, the driver of the Ford was taken by a family member to St. George Regional Hospital for potential care while the others declined transport by ambulance, Jessop said.
While no citation had been issued at the time Jessop spoke to St. George News, he said the SUV driver will most likely be given a ticket for following too close behind another vehicle.
Jessop said while he was dealing with the crash at mile 9, his partner was dealing with another crash and a secondary crash related to it just north of the triple-car crash site.
“It’s been a hectic night,” he said.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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