ST. GEORGE — A driver was trapped and injured in a two-vehicle crash on Wednesday morning after a driver who was reportedly blinded by the sun’s glare continued through the intersection on a red light, police say.
Shortly before 8 a.m., officers and emergency personnel responded to a two-vehicle crash reported at the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive involving a Jeep and a gold Honda SUV.
St. George Police Sgt. James Schafer told St. George News they arrived to find the two vehicles in the middle of the intersection partially blocking both lanes of travel.
Fire crews found the driver of the Honda trapped inside. Using hydraulic-extrication rescue tools, they cut through the door to remove the driver who was then transported to St. George Regional Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Additional patrol units were called in to assist with traffic control while officers spoke to both drivers and witnesses who provided an account of the collision.
Schafer said at the time of the crash, the Jeep was eastbound on Riverside Drive while the Honda was northbound on River Road. The driver of the Jeep continued through the intersection on what witnesses reported was a red light, Schafer said. The Jeep then struck the northbound Honda that continued through the intersection on a green light.
The force of the impact crushed the driver’s side of the Honda and spun both vehicles around, causing severe damage to the two vehicles and the driver of the Honda trapped inside.
Schafer said the vision of the Jeep’s driver may have been compromised by the sun that was just rising over the hills, making it difficult to see the traffic light that had already turned red.
Schafer went on to remind motorists that the maximum posted speed is based on ideal conditions. Traveling into the sun’s glare is anything but ideal, he said, adding that drivers should reduce their speed and use extra caution anytime vision is compromised.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 9,000 crashes are caused by the sun’s glare each year.
Following the crash on Wednesday, the driver of the Jeep was cited for failing to obey a traffic device, Schafer said.
Both vehicles were towed from the roadway. Traffic was impacted for more than 45 minutes as responders tended to the injured and cleared the roadway.
The St. George Police Department, St. George Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene.
St. George News reporter Jessi Bang contributed to this report.
Photo Gallery
Honda SUV was cut with extrication tools and is towed from the scene of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, March 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Honda SUV is heavily damaged and towed from the scene of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, March 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Tow trucks and debris block the roadway following a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, March 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Filee photo of the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, March 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News St. George Fire responds to two-vehicle crash at the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, March 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Honda SUV is heavily damaged and towed from the scene of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, March 23, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News 
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