Driver swerves into oncoming lane to avoid rear-end collision, hits 2 pickup trucks, police say

CEDAR CITY — Police say a driver who apparently didn’t notice that a pickup truck in front of him had stopped to make a left turn ended up colliding with a different truck coming in the opposite direction.

Scene of a collision involving a Honda Civic and two Dodge pickup trucks on state Route 56 west of Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 11, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The incident reportedly happened shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on state Route 56, a few miles west of Cedar City.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Zach Todd said the driver of a white Dodge Ram pickup was preparing to turn left from westbound SR-56 onto 6300 West as a white Honda Civic was rapidly approaching from behind.

“This white Civic was coming up too fast and didn’t notice they were turning or stopping,” Todd told Cedar City News at the scene. “For one reason or another, he attempted to cross over to the left to avoid a direct collision.”

The Civic clipped the rear driver’s side of the Dodge Ram that was making the left turn, Todd said, after which it crossed over into the eastbound lane, where it was sideswiped by another pickup truck.

The second truck, which also happened to be a white Dodge Ram, was a flatbed utility vehicle equipped with toolboxes. It ended up going off the road on the north side of SR-56, while the wrecked Civic spun around and came to rest on the south shoulder. Both of those vehicles were heavily damaged and needed to be towed. However, the first pickup sustained only minor to moderate rear-end damage to its bumper and wheel well panel and appeared to still be drivable.

Scene of a collision involving a Honda Civic and two Dodge pickup trucks on state Route 56 west of Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 11, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

No serious injuries were reported, although Gold Cross Ambulance personnel did evaluate the Civic driver at the scene for a possible shoulder injury. The man driving the first Dodge pickup and the two male occupants of the second truck did not report any injuries.

Todd said the Civic driver would likely receive a citation for improper lane travel and/or following too closely. Impairment was not suspected to be a factor, he said, based on a preliminary investigation at the scene.

Traffic in the area was impacted for approximately one hour while UHP troopers and other responders worked to clear the scene.

Todd said the incident was the second crash within the past week at that very intersection. “It was a really similar circumstance,” he said.

Oddly enough, Wednesday night’s crash was also the second collision in as many days to involve one or more white Dodge Ram pickups on SR-56, as another such truck was involved in a head-on collision Tuesday afternoon a few miles to the east, at the intersection of SR-56 and Cross Hollow Road.

This report is based on 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, 2020, all rights reserved.

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