14 from Short Creek injured in rollover near Coral Pink Sand Dunes

KANE COUNTY – A group of females from the Short Creek community of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, were involved in a truck accident June 9 that resulted in injuries to the driver, a passenger and 12 females riding in the bed of the truck. Initially, little information was available due to confusion about which emergency agency had taken charge of the accident.

A truck rollover near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kane County, Utah, June 9, 2014 | Photos courtesy of Colorado City Fire Department, St. George News
A truck rollover near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kane County, Utah, June 9, 2014 | Photos courtesy of Colorado City Fire Department, St. George News

The accident occurred around 4 p.m. on Sand Dunes Road near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. One individual was taken by Life Flight helicopter due to the severity of her injuries, while 13 others were transported to area hospitals for various injuries.

When contacted about the accident, Coral Pink Sand Dunes park officials referred questions to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office. Keiren Chatterley, with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, said Utah Highway Patrol responded and handled the situation.

“I spoke to both the lieutenant and the sergeant down there, who both confirmed the accident occurred on a county road,” UHP Sgt. Jake Cox said. “We had a trooper come out to assist, but the Utah Highway Patrol did not handle the crash. Kane County Sheriff’s were responsible.”

“We don’t have a case report yet. We dispatched Colorado City, as well,” Chatterley said when contacted a second time. “It was their ambulance who transported everyone. We responded after the fact.”

After a submission of official requests for information, the Colorado City Fire Department responded.

According to information provided by Colorado City Fire Chief Kevin Barlow, 14 females were riding in a double-cab, long-bed GM pickup truck with racks when the truck rolled on Sand Dunes Road.

A truck rollover near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kane County, Utah, June 9, 2014 | Photos courtesy of Colorado City Fire Department, St. George News
A truck rollover near Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kane County, Utah, June 9, 2014 | Photos courtesy of Colorado City Fire Department, St. George News

The Colorado City Fire Department responded to the scene with three ambulances and a rescue unit; Kane County Ambulance responded with three ambulances; and Intermountain Healthcare Life Flight responded with one helicopter. The Kane County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Highway Patrol, Kanab City Fire Department and Utah Department of Natural Resources also responded.

Thirteen of the females were transported by ambulance; nine were taken to Kane County Hospital in Kanab and four were taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.

One female was taken by Life Flight to Dixie Regional Medical Center. All of the females were stable, but their injuries included closed head injuries, pelvic fractures, extremity fractures, lacerations and muscle strains.

“We can confirm we had one patient flown to Las Vegas as a result of an accident that occurred near Highway 89 Monday evening,” Dixie Regional Medical Center Public Information Officer Teri Draper said.

Due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws, Dixie Regional Medical Center could not release the name of the patient who was Life Flighted or any specific details about the patient.

ED. NOTE: St. George News Assistant Editor Cami Cox contributed to this article.

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21 Comments

  • Chuck Brown June 18, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    next time take the bus…..

    • Cabo Cara June 18, 2014 at 8:49 pm

      REALLY???? they were trying to remove girls from the creek and this is all you have?? These girls were a part of a human trafficking ring within the FLDS and the AUB and this is what you have??? You sir, need to grow a heart, some compassion and a brain might not hurt ….

      • Mandy June 19, 2014 at 9:11 am

        Human trafficking to where? And for what reason? Do the FLDS have so many wives/girls that they have enough to export now? I am seeing more and more FLDS women in stores around town. It makes me hope they are more exposed to other opportunities and are not as naive and sheltered as in the past.

        • Annie June 19, 2014 at 11:05 am

          Mandy ~ The FLDS and AUB polygamist cults are both known for transporting girls across the US-Canada and US-Mexico borders to be married to men who hold high positions in their “religion”. This is necessary to cut down on the incest that occurs due to close relatives (i.e. first cousins) being married, which often results in serious health issues. Fumarase deficiency (also known as Polygamist Down’s) is known to occur in the greatest concentration in the world among the fundamentalist Mormon polygamists of northern Arizona (Colorado City) and southern Utah (Hildale) (aka Short Creek).

          • Mandy June 19, 2014 at 2:03 pm

            That’s what I figured Cabo Cara was writing about. What really is the difference whether they marry here or somewhere else? Either they have a choice or they don’t. It isn’t human trafficking if they go willingly. It is kidnapping if they are taken either over the border or to even another room against their will. Same definition of “kidnapping” for all of us single-weds, by the way.

      • Annie June 19, 2014 at 9:30 am

        That’s right, Cabo!!

  • Annie June 18, 2014 at 8:49 pm

    I hope this accident is investigated thoroughly!

    • Cabo Cara June 18, 2014 at 10:27 pm

      As much as we as a community would love for this to happen, until the UT and AZ gov get on the sane page this will be hidden under the closest rug… as this has show, without the diligence of the St. George News, you would have never known that this occurred…

  • Purgatory pod d June 18, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    Great reporting, Thanks. I think it might of been their total disrespect for other peoples property that saved them from more serious injury.

  • jake June 18, 2014 at 10:11 pm

    So……how we’re they disrespecting other people’s property? This is an old dirt road that goes on for a while. If it weren’t for so many bumps in the road everyone would be hauling ass over it. I know I do. So they made a bad decision to drive too fast on their way back from a camping trip. Who hasn’t? I don’t really see the reason for all of the negativity.

    • Cabo Cara June 18, 2014 at 10:58 pm

      So, you say on the way back from a camping trip? W here were all the men? Why did they not stop to help? WHY ARE THE WOMEN IN THE BACK OF A TRUCK??? With cattle guards on??? that is NOT camping…. THAT is MOVING women and girls… hopefully the “law” of UT and AZ will FINALLY see through all this BS and put an end to the lack of law in the creek!!

      • Mandy June 19, 2014 at 10:53 am

        What do you want the law to do? Moving women and girls is not illegal.

    • Sarah Hatton June 19, 2014 at 11:28 am

      A camping trip with no sleeping bags? Hmmm Human trafficking more like. Put Escaping the profit back on TLC and let Flora Jessop expose this crap!!!

  • KanabCowgirl June 18, 2014 at 11:19 pm

    Ouch! Poor girls! I hope everyone has a quick and full recovery.
    To you negative jerks. Shut the expletive up! You wouldn’t be so quick w/ negativity if these were your family/friends. Do any of you drive the dirt road to the Sand Dunes? If you haven’t then do so today then tell me that it’s a safe road. It’s my guess that they were driving either to the dunes or back from them and someone was coming the opposite direction going like 100 & squeezed them too close to the edge. This exact thing has happened to me many times. Thank Heavenly Father I haven’t wrecked yet. People drive tooooo fast on that road. So until you get 10 years of daily experience driving that road don’t say negative things.

  • Bovine jessoup Yourashole June 18, 2014 at 11:20 pm

    I would like to say how happy iam that most will be ok. I sure glade they had the cattle racks on the truck. To keep the women safe. I have seen a female heard like this rounded up science the cliven bundy round up getter done. Actually I’m glad to see plug boys spend their time rounding up a few. Ya know what they call a hot chick in hill dale ? A visitor. When they were all rolling and flying through the air not knowing if they would live or die, one of them said to the others this beats the heck out of being in 6th grade and getting called in to Warren Jeff’s office and told to leave our Levi’s off from under our long dress. No kidding aside. Besides the pligs using up government subsidies. you very rarely see a lot arrested like the rest the world for horrible behavior unlike the people who write in this blog and their children. They fit right in within Hispanics, planned parent hood, starv a child but save a dog cat muskrat horse or jackass. Same gender stain removal for public park bench program. Save a tree eat a beaver or two. How great full I am to have a great story told about people can wreck and no care given for their survival, know if they were on bicycles, moto cycle, hikers, hang gliders or some other weak ness people want to help have few plig girls sliding on their backs feet in the air, hair blowing in the wind cloths being torn off where you can look upon these women in their most relaxed and revilling beauty. All I can say is how thankful iam or plig boys with bad eye sight to pick them up and take care of them and maybe marry one so the rest of us with good eyes won’t feel guilt. Gog bless you little pli little plig let me come in.

  • PK June 19, 2014 at 8:34 am

    Sounds like a bunch of stupid crickers acting like stupid crickers. I’ve been to way too many funerals out there for stupid crap like this. 12 girls in a bed of a truck doing some offroading on some steep heels with little traction…….what could happen right?

  • Mary June 19, 2014 at 8:35 am

    If polygamy is so bad, why does no give a hoot that the founders of Mormonism were pligs? If they were alive today they would not be worthy Mormons according to todays doctrine. Just because there are a few bad apples (just like in any group of people) in the Flds religion,it does not make have child brides the norm. The LDS came to Utah to avoid persecution just as the Flds are doing. So if you are a Mormon who hates polygamy (when it does not involve child brides),you are being very hypocritical.

  • Doug Ence June 19, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    Pligs sucking more tax dollars out of the system.

  • deke June 19, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    notice the toilet paper & buckets in the debris from the truck bed.

  • Pligs Are Pedos June 19, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    Ever hold the door open for one of these freaks? They don’t even look you in the eye. Frickin inbred hillbillies.

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