ST. GEORGE — A two-car collision disrupted traffic at the corner of River Road and Riverside Drive Wednesday afternoon. No major injuries were reported, though both vehicles had to be towed away.
The incident, which was reported at 3:52 p.m., involved a brown Toyota Avalon trying to make a left turn crashing into a silver Honda Envoy SUV. St. George Police and Fire Department came to the scene of the incident that slowed traffic on both River and Riverside for about 30 minutes.
According to St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin, the driver of each vehicle was treated for scrapes and bruises at the scene and required no further medical help.
The Avalon, driven by an 86-year-old woman, had been traveling east on Riverside Drive and was making a left turn on to southbound River Road. According to Atkin, the Honda driven by a 66-year-old male had the right of way.
“Another fail to yield on a left turn,” Atkin said, adding the driver of the Toyota was cited for failing to yield. “She just made a left turn in front of him.”
The front of the Toyota was crushed inward but was still able to be started and backed on to the tow truck under its own power. The driver’s side airbag could be seen deployed.
The SUV also had some damage to its front and toward the front driver’s side of the vehicle. Both vehicles were towed from the scene as it was cleared around 4:30 p.m.
Atkin expressed not being surprised when she hears about another left turn accident on a major intersection in St. George.
She added she hopes drivers are cognizant of the new light just activated at the corner of Riverside and Morningside Drive near Heritage Elementary School.
“Any of those big intersections where you have five or six lanes and someone is trying to make a left turn where people just misjudged the distance, or trying to beat the yellow,” Atkin said.
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Silver Honda Envoy is loaded onto a tow truck after a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Silver Honda Envoy is loaded onto a tow truck after a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Front of a Toyota Avalon crushed in a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
St. George Fire Department vehicle at a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
The scene of a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
The scene of a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
The scene of a two-car collision at River Road and Riverside Drive in St. George, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2020. | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.