Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
CEDAR CITY — A 19-year-old woman escaped serious injury in a single car rollover on Interstate 15 south of Cedar City on Saturday afternoon.
The incident, which was reported shortly before 1 p.m., involved a gray Toyota Camry that had been northbound near mile marker 53.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Bambi Baie said the driver reportedly had her attention momentarily focused on the car radio.
“She was trying to find a different radio channel, just messing around with the radio,” Baie said, adding, “She started to drift to the left, hit the dirt on the left side, panicked, overcorrected, and went off the roadway to the right and through the fences.”
The car, which went through two wire fences as it rolled, ended up coming to rest on its wheels just east of a dirt frontage road, sustaining heavy damage, particularly to its roof area, and was later towed from the scene.
Despite the damage to the vehicle, the driver reportedly sustained only minor injuries.
“She was transported to the hospital more for precautionary reasons,” Baie said. “But she was talking and walking around.”
The driver was reportedly wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash.
“Thank goodness for seat belts,” Baie said.
There were no other occupants inside the car besides the driver. However, there was a red velvet cake inside a box on the front passenger seat; the cake was ruined in the crash.
Northbound I-15 traffic was impacted for a short time, with a right-lane closure causing some slowdowns for about 30-40 minutes while the scene was cleared.
Photo Gallery
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Utah Highway Patrol vehicle at the scene of a single-vehicle rollover south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover involving a Toyota Camry near Interstate 15 mile marker 53, south of Cedar City, Utah, March 12, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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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.