Man unconscious after Jeep veers off State Street into field by Hurricane Days Inn

Written by Chris Reed
January 19, 2024

HURRICANE — A medical episode might have caused a Jeep driver to veer off State Street in Hurricane Friday afternoon into an empty field east of the Days Inn. 

A Jeep Rubicon is seen in a field next to the Days Inn after veering off State Street, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 19, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Police said the man was in his 60s and had to be resuscitated on-site. He was transported by ambulance from the site while still unconscious.

Sgt. Yates Wright said the yellow Jeep Rubicon with the man as the only passenger was traveling east on State Street at around 2:30 p.m. when it veered left off the road into the westbound lanes, then crashed through a barbed wire fence for a couple of yards before coming to a stop in the field. 

“All the witnesses were just saying it was possibly a medical condition,” Wright said. “There’s no collision with any other vehicle. He just left the road and ended where you see it there.”

After the break in the wire fence where the four-wheel drive vehicle would have gone over sharp rocks, tracks could be seen going for about 50 yards through the sandy field before it appears the Jeep took a sharp right before coming to a stop.

“It actually stayed on its wheels,” Wright said. “They don’t think it rolled or anything like that.”

The Jeep with Arizona plates had attendee stickers on the driver’s side of the windshield for last year’s and this year’s Winter 4X4 Jamboree taking place in Hurricane this weekend.

The front passenger tire was flattened and fluids were leaking from the engine but there was no other apparent damage to the vehicle. Authorities wouldn’t confirm the extent of the man’s injuries, other than him needing CPR and being unconscious when he was transported from the scene.

A hat for an Arizona 4X4 off-wheelers club is seen in a Jeep Rubicon that ended up in a field next to the Days Inn after veering off State Street, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 19, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

There was also paraphernalia and identifications for the Havasu4Wheelers club and a flag with flames fluttering in the breeze in sight of the Days Inn, which had several trailers and Jamboree vehicles parked. 

The far right lane of State Street had to be closed during the initial investigation and as Hurricane Police and Fire rendered aid, causing a backup. The lane was opened by 3:15 p.m. and the site completely cleared after a tow truck dragged the Jeep away by 3:50 p.m.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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