Sports car, semi crash on I-15 in separate early morning incidents

Stock image | St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A reportedly sleepy driver and a blown tire were the respective causes of two separate wrecks Monday morning on Interstate 15 in Washington County.

A semitractor-trailer sits at the side of Interstate 15 after the driver fell asleep and hit another semi Monday morning. Washington County, Utah, July 17, 2017 | Photo courtesy of UHP Trooper Jim Jessop, St. George News

The first incident occurred at approximately 3:40 a.m. when two semitractor-trailers were southbound on I-15 at milepost 28. One of the drivers was driving past his allotted hours, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Mower said.

“The semi driver that was at fault was falling asleep,” Mower said, “and he was kind of in that slumber dream stage. He told us that he could see that he was approaching the other semi, but it didn’t register in his mind.”

The driver rear-ended the semi in front of him, and his truck left the roadway to the right and jackknifed on the hill.

The semi that was hit was safety inspected by UHP troopers and allowed to continue. The sleepy driver was cited for driving more than the allotted hours. No injuries were reported, and Mower said he was not aware of any other citations being issued.

A wrecked Mazda Miata sits on the side of Interstate 15 after a blown tire caused the car to roll, Washington, Utah, July 17, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

The second incident happened about 8:15 a.m. at milepost 13. A Mazda Miata was traveling south when the left rear tire had a blowout.

The driver, a 60-year-old woman, was trying to keep the car on the road when she lost control, Mower said.

The vehicle left the roadway to the right and overturned.

The driver was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for observation because of the violent nature of the wreck.

“The scary part is, the vehicle was a little convertible,” Mower said. “Luckily, she had a hardtop on the convertible or else it probably would have been a different story. I’ve seen convertibles roll over with people in them and its usually not a good thing.”

Mower added that he visited the driver in the hospital for follow-up.

“She was in really good spirits, looked like she was doing fine and said she was not injured at all.”

No citations were issued in the Miata crash.

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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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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2 Comments

  • Mike Carter July 17, 2017 at 2:42 pm

    I didn’t see any sports car in those pics, must have been a typo.

    • mesaman July 17, 2017 at 8:24 pm

      Look again, it’s that little pile of topless, black junk sitting alone and facing away from us.

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