Minivan rotates midair, crashes when driver falls asleep on SR-18, police say

Minivan is destroyed in a crash on southbound state Route 18 near mile marker 35 in Washington County, Utah, Nov. 18, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An early-morning crash on state Route 18 south of Enterprise was reported by a school bus driver heading south when they noticed a set of headlights leave the roadway in their rear-view mirror Wednesday.

Minivan is destroyed in a crash on southbound state Route 18 near mile marker 35 in Washington County, Utah, Nov. 18, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

Shortly after 6:30 a.m., a school bus driver was heading south on  SR-18 near mile marker 35 when she noticed a vehicle’s headlights in her rear-view mirror that appeared to leave the roadway and either roll or spin around before crashing.

The bus driver, unable to stop at the time, called emergency dispatch to report the incident.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Austin Ipson told St. George News they arrived to find a dark green minivan several yards from the highway where it came to rest on the shoulder. The driver reported no serious injuries.

The driver told authorities he was heading south on the highway toward St. George when he fell asleep and the minivan began veering to the right.

Minivan is destroyed in a crash on southbound state Route 18 near mile marker 35 in Washington County, Utah, Nov. 18, 2020 | Photo by Kaden Foremaster, St. George News

Once alert, the driver responded by overcorrecting to the left, which sent the vehicle careening across the highway where it began to spin after it hit the soft shoulder.

The vehicle continued up the small embankment with enough momentum that it continued rotating, Ipson said, striking the side of the embankment as it did so. The minivan dropped back down and crashed at the bottom where it came to rest.

No other vehicles were involved and the driver sustained no serious injuries and was not transported to the hospital, the trooper said. The minivan was destroyed in the crash and was subsequently towed from the roadway.

The Utah Highway Patrol, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters from, Enterprise Fire and Northwest Fire District responded and tended to the scene.

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

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