Police: Elderly driver runs red light, causes chain-reaction crash in Cedar City

Scene of a collision involving multiple vehicles at the intersection of Cross Hollow Road and Providence Center Drive, Cedar City, Utah, May 26, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Police say a driver ran a red light at a busy Cedar City intersection on Friday afternoon, causing a chain-reaction collision that left six vehicles damaged.

Scene of a collision involving multiple vehicles at the intersection of Cross Hollow Road and Providence Center Drive, Cedar City, Utah, May 26, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The incident, which was reported shortly before 1 p.m. at the intersection of Cross Hollow Road and Providence Center Drive, involved a white Chrysler Pacifica minivan and five other vehicles.

Cedar City Police Sgt. Dustin Orton said the driver of the Pacifica minivan was heading westbound on Cross Hollow and entered the intersection while the light was red. The Chrysler minivan struck the driver’s side door of another minivan, a gray Toyota Sienna, whose driver was heading south through the intersection. 

The impact of the collision pushed the second minivan into two other lines of cars, Orton told Cedar City News at the scene.

The driver at fault, whom Orton described as an “elderly male,” was transported to the hospital with unspecified injuries. Orton said the man would be cited for causing the crash as well as for driving on a denied license. 

Meanwhile, none of the drivers or passengers of the other vehicles reported any serious injuries.

“There were multiple victims with minor injuries that weren’t transported,” Orton added.

Traffic in and around the already congested intersection was impacted for an hour or more as police and other responders cleared the scene. 

“Every time there’s an accident here, we anticipate a secondary crash,” Orton said. “That’s why we have so many officers on scene helping with the traffic control that’s required at this intersection.”

Responding to the scene were multiple Cedar City Police officers, a fire engine crew from Cedar City Fire Department, three Utah Highway Patrol troopers, an SUU Police officer, Gold Cross Ambulance personnel and multiple tow truck operators.

This report is based on preliminary statements from law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Updated May 26, 6:45 p.m. to include additional information about the vehicle that was initially struck by the Chrysler minivan in the intersection, and clarifies that the second vehicle’s driver had been heading straight through the intersection rather than waiting to turn left. An additional photo showing that Toyota Sienna has been added to the gallery. 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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