Police: Driver blows through red light, causing T-bone crash on River Road

Officers and emergency personnel respond to a two-vehicle crash on River Road and 700 South , St. George, Utah, Oct. 7, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A driver who authorities say ran a red light caused a T-bone crash on River Road Sunday morning. Police say two small children involved in the crash were likely saved from serious injury by an important vehicle safety feature.

Officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to the T-bone collision at the intersection of River Road and 700 South involving a gray Pontiac Grand Am and a white Toyota Corolla, St. George Police Sgt. Spencer Holmes said.

Two Gold Cross Ambulances were dispatched to the scene due to the number of occupants involved in the crash.

Gold Cross Ambulance on standby at a two-vehicle crash on River Road and 700 South,  St. George, Utah, Oct. 7, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

All occupants, including two small children in the Toyota, were checked by paramedics at the scene. They were shaken but uninjured, Holmes said.

At the time of the crash, the Pontiac was heading north on River Road while the Toyota was heading west on 700 South. The Pontiac failed to stop at the red light and struck the Toyota on the driver’s side, Holmes said, causing both cars to spin around and sending the Toyota onto the sidewalk.

“Several witnesses said the Grand Am went straight through that intersection without ever touching the brakes and then collided with the Corolla,” Holmes said, adding that both front and side airbags deployed in the Toyota upon impact, which likely spared the two children from serious injury.

The driver of the Pontiac was cited for a red light violation, Holmes said.

Damage to the vehicles necessitated that they both be towed from the scene.

This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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5 Comments

  • Craig October 7, 2018 at 4:46 pm

    We must have some of the worst drivers. It did not used to be that way. Further, seeing someone actually let someone in ahead of them from a side street or parking lot is becoming rarer and rarer.

  • iceplant October 7, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    Oh, LOOK! Another Utah driver with no regard for the single most basic traffic law, ever. STOP for a stop sign or RED LIGHT!
    Why is it so hard for people to do that around here?? I see it every time I drive. People treating stop signs like yield signs.
    If you can’t obey the easiest traffic laws, you have no business driving. Holy crap… people in California drive better than here!!!

  • mmsandie October 8, 2018 at 9:03 am

    There should be jail time for red light runners, even 30 days would teach them a lesson..

  • LunchboxHero October 8, 2018 at 9:39 am

    A citation, yeah that’ll show ’em!

  • Mike P October 8, 2018 at 11:41 am

    I thought everyone was out of town on Sunday for that big LDS convention up north

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