VEYO — An 80-year-old man was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center with minor injuries Thursday after his vehicle collided with a cement truck on state Route 18 in Veyo. The collision sent the cement truck off the road, through some fences and into the yard of a residence.
At approximately 3:41 p.m., a Buick Enclave driven by the 80-year-old man, a Pine Valley resident, was traveling northbound on SR-18 when, near milepost 20, just north of Center Street in Veyo, the driver swerved left, crossed over the center line and struck a southbound cement truck, hitting it at an angle.
“So not quite head-on, but almost,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Hicks said.
“The reason it wasn’t head-on,” he added, “is because the driver of the … cement truck saw the car leave its lane and come towards him, but he swerved to the right to avoid it. But, of course, they still hit.”
The cement truck was fully in its lane when the collision occurred, Hicks said. The driver of the Buick told responders he had heard a loud pop or explosion just before the crash occurred, indicating a front tire had possibly blown on his vehicle.
“We can’t corroborate that story because the damage was so severe on the front of the Buick that there’s nothing left to really look at,” Hicks said.
The impact sent the Buick spinning while the cement truck went off the road, through some fences and into the yard of a residence, narrowly missing the home. The tall cement truck did hit a power line connecting the home to a power pole, ripping the junction box off of the house.
“So there’s going to be some power issues for that home, but there was no other (property damage) as a result of the crash,” Hicks said.
The driver of the Buick sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. Hicks said there was no reported injury to the cement truck driver. Both men were wearing seat belts and were able to walk away from the accident, he said.
“We got very lucky with this crash. It could’ve been much worse,” Hicks said. “I think the seat belt, especially for the driver in the Buick, really played an important factor.”
Veyo Fire and UHP responded to the scene; Hicks said he was unsure whether any other agencies responded. Due to the nature of the accident, Life Flight was initially called in as a precaution but was later canceled.
“Thankfully, we didn’t need them,” Hicks said.
As of Friday afternoon, no citations had been given and the accident was still under investigation. The driver of the Buick could potentially receive a citation, depending on the findings of the investigation, but the cement truck driver will not be cited, Hicks said.
The Buick sustained heavy damage, while the cement truck had only minor damage as a result of the collision.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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A Buick Enclave sustains severe damage after colliding with a cement truck, Veyo, Utah, Nov. 13, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
A cement truck crashes through fences and hits a power line before coming to a stop in the yard of a residence, Veyo, Utah, Nov. 13, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, for St. George News
A cement truck crashes through fences and hits a power line before coming to a stop in the yard of a residence, Veyo, Utah, Nov. 13, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, for St. George News
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Wow, concrete driver quick reactions saved this man from death or serious injury. This car/driver would have not emerged too well with a direct head-on impact with the concrete truck.
When will they require older people to take the test drive to renew license… They will probably say he was on medication, like so many seniors lie on their driver license renewals and say they don,t take medications…
I KNOW A GUY NAMED PEDRO THAT CAN MAKE THAT CAR LOOK AS GOOD AS NEW IN A WEEK..
Hey PTS I know a guy named Juan. who can do it in 5 days
Is there concrete evidence to determine who was at fault?
That may be Koolaid’s most intelligent comment yet.
Were still waiting to get one from you