Woman suffers serious injury in side-by-side rollover on Sand Mountain

EMS vehicles stock image | Photo by Katifcam/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A woman was sent to the hospital after rolling an off-highway vehicle Monday in Sand Hollow State Park.

The rollover occurred just before noon in the Top of the World area of Sand Mountain in the park and involved a side-by-side OHV with two riders, an 18-year-old female driver and a 13-year-old male passenger.

In this 2016 file photo shown for illustration purposes, Jeeps use a trail in the Sand Mountain OHV Area, Sand Hollow State Park, Utah, Jan. 22, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News

The woman was reportedly pinned under the OHV when rangers from the Utah Department of Natural Resources received the riders’ call for help.

“She had some severe damage to her hand,” park manager Laura Melling said of the woman’s injuries, adding that one of her fingers was likely at least partially severed.

The 13-year-old boy escaped the incident with minor cuts and bruises, Melling said.

“They were both wearing helmets,” she said.

The crash occurred in a remote area inaccessible to vehicles without four-wheel drive, and when the call came through, responders didn’t have an exact location.

“When we get these calls, we don’t necessarily know where they are when they’re clear up on the mountain,” Melling said. “When we don’t have a good description of the area, we pull in extra help to find them.”

Crews from Washington County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue were called in to assist with locating and transporting the riders down the mountain.

Crews had the injured woman off the mountain within about an hour of the initial call. She was transported by an ambulance from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George to have her hand treated.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by emergency responders 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

  • Scott August 1, 2018 at 11:25 am

    Hope she’s ok. Side by sides are making it impossible to find solitude, though

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