I-15 rollover leads to DUI arrest

Rollover off southbound Interstate 15 at the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Utah, May 1, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

WASHINGTON CITY – A woman was arrested by the Utah Highway Patrol for suspected DUI Friday evening after her car rolled on southbound Interstate 15 on the north side of the Washington Parkway exit.

Rollover off southbound Interstate 15 at the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Utah, May 1, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Rollover off southbound Interstate 15 at the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Utah, May 1, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

At about 7:10 p.m., UHP troopers responded to a report of a rollover on I-15. At the scene, they encountered a woman in her mid-to-late 20s whose car had ended up on its side at the base of an embankment by the roadway. Units from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office also responded.

The woman was going a “good rate of speed when she hit the embankment,” UHP Sgt. Danny Ferguson said.

The woman’s car veered off the roadway, leaving visible skid marks, and went up the embankment. The vehicle somehow missed a tree, went around the tree and landed on its passenger side facing northward, Ferguson said.

“How she missed that tree, I don’t have a clue,” he said.

The woman was the only person in the car and was wearing her seat belt, Ferguson said, which was evident by the visible marks left on her collarbone.

Rollover off southbound Interstate 15 at the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Utah, May 1, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Rollover off southbound Interstate 15 at the Washington Parkway exit, Washington City, Utah, May 1, 2015 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Police officers who first arrived at the scene could allegedly smell alcohol on the woman and, also judging by her demeanor, suspected she was intoxicated. The woman underwent a field sobriety test at the scene and subsequently failed, which resulted in her arrest.

Before being taken to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility, the woman was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center for a medical check, Ferguson said.

The woman’s car had to be towed from the scene. No other vehicles or people were involved in the incident.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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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