ST. GEORGE — A 56-year-old woman was booked into jail on suspicion of driving while impaired after the pickup truck she was driving went crashing through the front windows of a local business Tuesday afternoon.
Lt. Johnny Heppler of the St. George Police Department said the incident occurred around 3 p.m. in a business park at 144 West Brigham Road. When responders arrived on scene, they found that a dark green Ford F-150 truck had jumped the curb and sidewalk and had gone completely inside suite 8 of the complex, sending glass, wood, drywall and other debris scattered throughout the bottom floor of the office. An outside pillar adjacent to the sidewalk was also damaged.
One man who had been working inside the office was bleeding from lacerations to the head, but his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Heppler said, adding it wasn’t clear if the victim was injured by flying glass or by the impact of the truck. After being evaluated at the scene, the man was transported by Gold Cross Ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center for further treatment.
The driver of the Ford F-150, later identified by authorities as Jill W. Upwall, was given a field sobriety test and transported from the scene inside a police vehicle. Shortly thereafter, she was booked into Washington County’s Purgatory Correctional Facility on suspicion of DUI with serious bodily injury, as well as negligent collision charges.
Witness Jordan Jardino said she was upstairs in her father’s office when she and several other workers felt the building shake.
“All of a sudden, it just felt like an earthquake,” she said, adding that she and others heard tires screeching, followed by a loud boom.
“It sounded like a bomb going off,” said the building’s co-owner Vlad Zatulovsky, who was also upstairs working.
Cory Travers said he was outside walking along the sidewalk when the truck came roaring past him “at full gas” and crashed into the building near where he was standing.
“It was right in front of me, about four feet [away],” Travers said of his close call.
The St. George Police Department, St. George Fire Department, and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene. Multiple officers interviewed witnesses and collected information, while other investigators processed the scene and worked on evaluating the structural integrity of the building.
This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
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Jill W. Upwall booking photo, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's Office, St. George News
Investigators examine the scene where a Ford F-150 pickup crashed into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
EMTs prepare to transport an injured man from the scene where a Ford F-150 pickup crashed into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
Emergency personnel talk to Jill W. Upwall at the scene where her Ford F-150 pickup crashed into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
Jill W. Upwall is given a field sobriety test at the scene after she allegedy crashed her Ford F-150 pickup truck into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
A Ford F-150 pickup's airbags deployed after crashing into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
A Ford F-150 pickup truck is towed away from the scene after crashing into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
A Ford F-150 pickup truck is towed away from the scene after crashing into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
Investigators examine the scene where a Ford F-150 pickup crashed into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
Investigators examine the scene where a Ford F-150 pickup crashed into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
A Ford F-150 pickup truck is towed away from the scene after crashing into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
Investigators examine the scene where a Ford F-150 pickup crashed into a business office at 144 West Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.
she been poppin pills or booze er somethin
Gol Lady, I hope you check into rehab, you’re lucky you didn’t kill somebody today!
Full gas ? Jumping the curb at what appears to be directly Into the building ?
Angry customer ?