Failure to yield on left turn backs car into sidewalk in crash near Thunder Junction

ST. GEORGE — Police say a driver making a left turn not yielding to oncoming traffic resulted in a collision with another vehicle at the corner of 600 West and Dixie Drive near Thunder Junction All Abilities Park in St. George Friday evening.

Crash scene at the corner of Dixie Drive and 600 West in St. George, Utah, April 17, 2020 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The collision involved a black Chevrolet Tahoe pushing a white Toyota Rav4 backwards onto the sidewalk, where it nearly collided with a bush and a tree. 

The collision resulted in a person from each vehicle being checked at the scene, but no major injuries were reported. There was some slowdown to traffic for about an hour on both sides of Dixie Drive. 

The Tahoe with a male driver and female passenger was traveling southwest on Dixie Drive at around 5:30 p.m., while the Rav4 with a solitary female driver was heading northeast on Dixie Drive. 

 “It appears the black Tahoe was going straight through. It was a green light. And the white Rav4 was trying to turn left onto 600 West here,” St. George Police Officer Trevor Anderson said at the scene. “He didn’t have time to react and plowed right into her.”

The chain reaction to the collision pushed the white Rav4 backwards. 

Crash scene at the corner of Dixie Drive and 600 West in St. George, Utah, April 17, 2020 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

“She was pushed back until she was able to realize what had happened,” Anderson said of the driver.

Along with St. George Police, St. George Fire and two Gold Cross Ambulance vehicles responded to the scene. The female driver of the Rav4 and the female passenger of the Tahoe – both elderly – were looked at by EMS at the scene, but neither was severely injured and didn’t need any further aid after being checked.

“Both complained of chest pain,” Anderson said.

All of those in both vehicles were wearing seat belts, and airbags deployed in the Rav4.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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