Pileup causes major congestion on Red Cliffs Drive

The scene of a four-vehicle pileup on Red Cliffs Drive in St. George, Utah, Feb. 19, 2018 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A four-vehicle pileup on Red Cliffs Drive led to delays for drivers in the area as traffic backed up behind the crash Monday afternoon.

St. George Police responded to the incident involving a Toyota Sequoia, a Toyota Camry, a Ford Fusion and a Nissan Maxima eastbound in the outside lane of Red Cliffs Drive approaching the intersection at 1680 East just before 1 p.m.

The scene of a four-vehicle pileup on Red Cliffs Drive in St. George, Utah, Feb. 19, 2018 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News

“Traffic was extremely heavy in the area and had come to a stop in the road,” St. George Police Officer David McDaniel said. “The white Nissan Maxima was able to come to a stop when the car in front of them hit the brakes.”

From behind, the driver of the Ford was unable to stop in time and ran into the back of the Nissan.

“Before they could even blink, the silver Camry came to a stop behind the Ford, missing it by about a foot,” McDaniel said, “and then the Toyota Sequoia ran into the Camry, pushing it into the Ford.”

Airbags deployed in the Ford, but no injuries were reported by anyone involved in the crash.

“The driver of the red Ford Fusion and the driver of the Toyota Sequoia both received citations for following too closely at a reasonable distance,” McDaniel said.

The Ford sustained the heaviest damage with both front- and rear-end damage and had to be towed away. The other three vehicles sustained minimal damage and were able to be driven from the scene.

The crash caused traffic to back up on Red Cliffs Drive as far back as where the road intersects with St. George Boulevard. Traffic was slowed and directed through a single-lane bottleneck around the area of the crash, leading to major delays for eastbound motorists.

Emergency personnel from St. George Fire Department also responded to the incident.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • utahdiablo February 19, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    If you can see the whites of my eyes in my inside rearview mirror? your following too damn close….back the hell off stupid

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