ST. GEORGE — For a little over 30 minutes Friday afternoon, traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 15 in Washington City after a rollover crash caused minor injuries to the vehicle’s two occupants.
But that was just the beginning of a long afternoon for first responders and travelers on northbound I-15. There were four crashes in the same area within three hours, and three of them involved one vehicle crashing into the back of the other.
While clearing that first incident, a secondary rear-end crash of two vehicles looking at the other crash occurred on the other side of the freeway, though it didn’t involve any injuries.
After first responders made quick work clearing both crashes and traffic was moving, a third crash — also a non-injury rear-end collision — happened a mile away and traffic slowed again.
Just as the officers and emergency workers finished packing from that crash, a fourth crash — this time a rear-end collision that did involve injuries — happened a quarter-mile up the road.
Things seemed to smooth out for officers and drivers after quick work was made to clear the initial crash involving a vehicle that rolled over into the center median.
“This went fairly better than most incidents do on the interstate,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Joe Pastor said from the scene of the crash on the dirt center median of I-15 near the Washington Parkway exit.
The first incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. when Pastor said a white Toyota Tacoma with two female passengers traveling north on I-15 went into the median for an “unknown reason” and rolled over several times.
Pastor said the driver and passenger were ejected from the vehicle.
“We don’t believe they were wearing seatbelts,” he said, adding no other vehicles were involved.
At the scene, the Tacoma was resting on its roof with its wheels facing upward. Nearby, responders were treating the two passengers on the ground. While both were transported to St. George Regional Hospital, Pastor said they were not in “any critical condition.” Pastor said any possible citations for the driver in that incident will be determined after further investigation.
For a brief moment, people traveling north on I-15 through St. George calling up the navigation app would see it was listing a 45-minute delay through the area. Traffic on northbound I-15 was seen moving, at best, at a snail’s pace. Some drivers parked along nearby Red Hills Parkway to wait it out.
But Pastor said it took about that long to clear the incident completely. By 3:20 p.m., traffic was moving normally again. There was a secondary, non-injury rear-end crash on the southbound side, but otherwise, Pastor described the response and cleanup as “smooth.”
“Our response time on that was pretty short just in an area of the interstate that commonly gets bottlenecked at this time of day coming from a three-lane-road coming into two,” Pastor said. “It was in a location of the road that we have to really deal with it.”
To underscore the typical traffic in the area on a Friday afternoon, a separate two-vehicle crash occurred a mile away about an hour after the first crash was mostly cleared and traffic was moving again.
Around 4:30 p.m. in the fast lane of north I-15 next to The Boilers, a sports utility vehicle and a minivan were involved in another rear-end collision that didn’t involve injuries and traffic was slowed again.
By 5 p.m., that other crash was cleared but simultaneously a quarter-mile ahead a fourth crash occurred. This one involved minor injuries, Pastor said, and was also a rear-ender. The responders at the crash near The Boilers had to drive up the road for their fourth crash of the afternoon.
Concerning the earlier crash, Pastor said, two things helped clear the incident quickly: The fact it ended up in the dirt median, rather than the highway itself, and the help of other agencies in the area. And that proved to be a factor as well in clearing out the other three incidents.
“We got the investigation done without worrying about traffic. When we don’t have extra risk for our responders, these tend to go a bit smoother,” Pastor said. “We also got great help from Washington City police and fire. When we can get everyone to work in a fluid motion, it goes smoother.”
This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Photo Gallery
The scene of a rollover crash involving a Toyota Tacoma on Interstate 15 near the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News First responders attend to two people who were thrown from their vehicle when it rolled over on Interstate 15 near the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News The scene of a rollover crash involving a Toyota Tacoma on Interstate 15 near the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News Traffic backs up on Interstate 15 after the first of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News Traffic backs up on Interstate 15 after the first of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News Traffic backs up on Interstate 15 after the first of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News Traffic backs up on Interstate 15 after the first of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News Cars park along Red Hills Parkway and wait out a long delay on Interstate 15 after the first of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News Traffic backs up on Interstate 15 near the first of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News First responders at a rear-end crash between two vehicles, the third of four crashes in the same area of Interstate 15 within three hours, Washington City, Nov. 4, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed St. George News
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