Driver injured when car leaves roadway, crashes into ditch near New Harmony

Rescuers extract driver from the car at the scene of a single-vehicle crash near New Harmony, Utah, May 13, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Harmony Valley Fire District, St. George News

NEW HARMONY — A driver was taken to the hospital after her car went off the roadway and crashed into a ditch near New Harmony on Friday.

Scene of a single-vehicle crash near New Harmony, Utah, May 13, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The incident, which reportedly happened shortly after noon, involved a silver Hyundai four-door passenger sedan traveling on Old Highway 144 a short distance west of the Shell gas station at Interstate 15’s Exit 42.

Washington County Sheriff’s Sgt. Joe Hafoka said the car was heading westbound when it left the roadway and went into a drainage ditch.

The vehicle ended up partially stuck on its side on the steep slope of the ditch, its front end having impacted a large metal culvert pipe.

The driver, a woman in her 60s, was unable to exit the car on her own, so a rescue effort was initiated.

Harmony Valley Fire District firefighters and EMTs, assisted by two Washington County Sheriff’s deputies, were able to get the woman out of the car and up to the road, where she received treatment for a suspected broken leg and other injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Shortly thereafter, she was transported via Gold Cross Ambulance to St. George Regional Hospital for further treatment.

Hafoka said the cause of the crash is under investigation.

“It did veer off to the right, but the cause is unknown. We don’t have any concrete reason,” he said, adding that deputies were not able to speak to the driver at the scene but plan to follow up with her later at the hospital.

Traffic along the road was routed onto the single (eastbound) lane while the scene was cleared, which took a little more than one hour.

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