Driver blames brakes after 2 SUVs collide on Bluff Street

Scene of a two-vehicle collision on Bluff Street near the northbound Interstate 15 offramp, St. George, Utah, June 16, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two SUV vehicles collided on Bluff Street Saturday afternoon at the Interstate 15 interchange. One of the drivers received a citation after he told police he experienced trouble with his brakes.

A Nissan Pathfinder with damage to front end, at the scene of a two-vehicle collision on Bluff Street near the northbound Interstate 15 offramp, St. George, Utah, June 16, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. where the northbound I-15 offramp connects to the Bluff Street overpass. St. George Police officer Ken Childs said two vehicles were involved, a green GMC Jimmy and a gray Nissan Pathfinder.

The Nissan was southbound on Bluff Street when it struck the front driver’s side panel of the GMC as its driver was turning left from the offramp onto northbound Bluff Street, Childs said.

“The Nissan Pathfinder’s driver stated he was coming to the light. It was yellow, and he started to press on the brakes. It turned red, he said his brakes didn’t grab, so he pushed on them. It pulled back, he pushed on them, they pulled back, which kind of sounds like ABS braking,” Childs said. “He wasn’t able to stop in time and entered the intersection as the other vehicle pulled out in front of him.”

Childs said the GMC driver was one of several cars that had started going through the light after it changed to a green left-turn arrow.

“He said he was approaching the light. There were several cars in front of him. The light turned green. They were all going through the intersection to turn northbound onto Bluff.”

Tow truck removes a GMC Jimmy from the scene of a two-vehicle collision on Bluff Street near the northbound Interstate 15 offramp, St. George, Utah, June 16, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

No injuries were reported. The two male divers were the only occupants of the respective vehicles. The GMC sustained moderate damage to its front wheel and was towed from the scene. The Pathfinder had minor damage to its front end. No airbags were deployed in either vehicle.

“It doesn’t look like it was a super high-speed collision, which is lucky,” Childs said, “but just the nature of the angle of the collision of the front of this vehicle directly to that wheel made it disable the other vehicle.”

The driver of the Nissan was cited for failure to obey a traffic signal and for not having a valid driver license, Childs said.

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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6 Comments

  • Kilroywashere June 16, 2018 at 5:43 pm

    Test the brakes on the Nissan. I dont buy the drivers excuse. Now I could be wrong but my guess is those brakes work perfectly. Sherlock Holmes. Bad driving, ticket well deserved. Better to be honest. Today, I was almost hit while parking in front of the Electric Theater by an idiot not looking and using parking spaces to do a U turn, leaving Capelettis, then at the circle on Main a half hour later I was almost hit going across the crosswalk back to my truck parked in same place. Amazing drivers in this,town.

    • mesaman June 16, 2018 at 8:12 pm

      ABS systems are prone to strange problems, although I doubt if this would be the first occurrence of brake failure and Nissan doesn’t have a track record of ABS recalls. Beyond that I would trust the investigation by the patrol trooper to conclude the outcome.

    • Mike P June 17, 2018 at 9:09 am

      I’m with Kilroy on this one. Dollars to Doughnuts, those brakes are working just fine. Funny, I was told earlier by some dude named “striker4” that if I didn’t like the driving here, we should just leave…no mention that maybe he should learn to drive safely.

  • utahdiablo June 16, 2018 at 9:35 pm

    That’s why all cars have EMERGENCY BRAKES….learn how to use them Nissan driver ( clue, it’s the pedal to the far left, just step down on it and you’ll stop )

  • DB June 17, 2018 at 3:25 pm

    The Lawyers will have their say but the brakes and ABS were probably doing just what they were supposed to. You can put every safety feature in the world into every make of car but it won’t be a substitute for looking out the window.

  • tazzman June 17, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    I have a feeling this Nissan driver was trying to find the brake app on his phone.

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