WASHINGTON COUNTY — A camp trailer was destroyed after the driver of the truck that was hauling it lost control and slammed into a guardrail Friday night.
At 9:38 p.m., Utah Highway Patrol was dispatched to the scene of the crash involving a Chevrolet pickup truck towing a camp trailer near mile marker 35 on southbound Interstate 15.
“The driver reported that he was passing a semi and got caught up in the wind as he passed the semi, lost control of the vehicle and struck the guard rail,” Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Jesse Williams said.
The guardrail was severely dented but appeared to have protected the truck from rolling off an adjacent hillside.
“The trailer came apart on impact and it rolled over,” Williams said. “The truck is also a total loss.”
The trailer appeared to have burst open with debris and camping equipment thrown and spread across both lanes the interstate.
The driver was able to maneuver the truck onto the outside shoulder lane where the destroyed trailer became detached.
None of the truck’s three occupants reported any injuries, Williams said, and all were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
The semitractor-trailer driver pulled over to make sure the vehicles had not made contact, confirming with the driver of the Chevrolet no collision had occurred, Williams said.
“The driver was cited for failure to maintain a lane and expired trailer registration,” Williams said of the Chevrolet driver.
A wrecker arrived to pick up the totaled Chevrolet, the driver patiently waiting as the occupants of the pickup truck picked up belongings now strewn about the brush.
A Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy was on scene assisting by picking up potentially hazardous items thrown down the hillside during the crash, such as a leaking car battery and propane tanks.
A dump truck arrived later to pick up the larger debris for disposal.
Traffic was reduced to one lane of traffic as the scene was cleaned up but was not impacted greatly because of the late hour.
Emergency personnel from Hurricane Valley Fire District and the Utah Department of Transportation also responded to the scene.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Why would a man driving pickup truck pulling a trailer try and pass a semi??that part of rte 15 is downhill, speed limit should be reduced… In Europe rvs campers cannot drive over 55 mph…no accidents there… It was nighttime, dark, lots of traffic.. Can,t understand drivers.. At least they had seat belts on.. They must have been over 21
On the German autobahn , a truck pulling a trailer wouldn’t even get out of the right-most lane. They know if they did, a BMW or Porsche with flashing headlights would appear behind them in a nano-second.
I’ve seen a lot of tag along trailers being towed without load level hitches and anti-sway bars. If you are going to spend thousands on a travel trailer, then spend a few hundred more and get the proper towing equipment.
I’ve towed a big trailer all over the country, from Alaska to Florida, over a lot of years, in a lot of weather and traffic conditions, withoutany problems with control. Get the right equipment, use common sense, and you are much less likely to have problems.
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This accident could have been prevented by having the trailer properly registered. /s
Probably 87 mph, at night, with a full trailer–what could go wrong?
Looks like the ramp survived the crash. 🙂
Aw heck Udot, raise the limit even higher….90 – 95 mph anyone? ( we all know most drive this speed already with the posted 80 mph ) so then you can do 100, really make a impression with your friends and family into the oncoming guardrail…:>)