DIAMOND VALLEY – A collision on state Route 18 Tuesday afternoon resulted in three people being taken to the hospital.
Just before 5 p.m., a truck northbound on SR-18 in the area of milepost 12 collided with a passenger car that was turning left from Diamond Valley Road, Washington County Sheriff’s Sgt. Nate Abbott said.
The driver of the passenger car allegedly pulled out in front of the pickup and triggered the collision, Abbott said.
The impact caused the truck to spin around and face south in the northbound lane while the passenger car went off the road before coming to a stop.
The pickup received heavy front-end damage while the passenger car looked as though the front axle may have been broken in the crash.
The speed limit on SR-18 in that area is 65 mph.
The driver of the pickup, as well as the driver and passenger in the car, was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center by ambulance.
Intermountain Healthcare’s Life Flight helicopter was called to the scene, yet was subsequently dismissed.
Abbott was unable to comment on the general condition of the three patients.
North and southbound traffic was impacted for around 45 minutes as responders tended to the scene.
“It’s one of those unfortunate situations,” Abbott said. “We hope people are careful and observant and cautious as they can be.”
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Gold Cross Ambulance, and area Fire Department volunteers responded.
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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Aftermath of a crash at the intersection of SR-18 and Diamond Valley Road, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Aftermath of a crash at the intersection of SR-18 and Diamond Valley Road, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Responders lift one of the individuals injured in the collision into a waiting ambulance. Officials were unable to comment on the extent of the injuries sustained by the three people involved in the two-vehicle collision on SR-18, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
One of the emergency responders taking a turn directing traffic around the crash on SR-18 around milepost 12, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Traffic backed-up near milepost 12 on SR-18 where a two-vehicle collision occurred. Traffic was impacted for around 45 minutes as responders dealt with the scene, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Aftermath of a crash at the intersection of SR-18 and Diamond Valley Road, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Responders work to remove one of the crash victims from the passenger car. All three people involved in the crash were sent to the hospital. Officials were unable to comment on the possible extent of their injuries, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Aftermath of a crash at the intersection of SR-18 and Diamond Valley Road, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won an award for photojournalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing ferals bees from a Washington City home. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction.
I see drivers coming out of the Diamond Valley exit every week ,
trying to jump across fast moving traffic even though they are at a dead stop .
Their judgement skills are horrible and people are constantly having to brake to avoid slamming into them .
This accident was not a matter of ‘if’ it would happen but ‘when’ it would .
People that live in DV know the intersection is dangerous. The problem is if you can see a car coming in either direction it isn’t safe to go, and visitors don’t realize it. Even when cars are a long way down the road they close the gap very quickly going 65 (and often 80) MPH.
If I lived there I would probably make my teenagers leave using the dirt road a half-mile north where it’s a bit safer.
I see drivers coming out of the Diamond Valley exit every week ,
trying to jump across fast moving traffic even though they are at a dead stop .
Their judgement skills are horrible and people are constantly having to brake to avoid slamming into them .
This accident was not a matter of ‘if’ it would happen but ‘when’ it would .
People that live in DV know the intersection is dangerous. The problem is if you can see a car coming in either direction it isn’t safe to go, and visitors don’t realize it. Even when cars are a long way down the road they close the gap very quickly going 65 (and often 80) MPH.
If I lived there I would probably make my teenagers leave using the dirt road a half-mile north where it’s a bit safer.
I’m not sure what the long-term solution is.
long term solution would be smart traffic planning. Might take some fatalities before that happens tho. typical utah
Well Bob you could always leave.