ST. GEORGE — Two people were injured when the utility terrain vehicle they were riding rolled on Sand Mountain Thursday afternoon.
First responders were alerted to a UTV rollover on Sand Mountain in Sand Hollow State Park around 2:45 p.m. that involved three people. Two of the UTV’s occupants received serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, park manager Jonathan Hunt said.
The UTV rolled after the driver had taken it up and over a sand dune, Hunt said. As a result, the driver and the individual in the back seat were both injured and required medical transport to Dixie Regional Medical Center.
The individual who rode in the UTV’s back seat was not wearing a seat belt or harness when the vehicle rolled, Hunt said, resulting in their receiving the more severe injuries in the incident. Due to the potential severity of those injuries, Life Flight was dispatched to the scene of the crash and arrived before other responders.
The back seat rider was loaded onto the helicopter and taken to the hospital while the other injured party was transported by ambulance.
The third individual who rode in the UTV did not require medical transport, Hunt said.
The rollover is a good reminder for UTV riders to wear the seatbelts or harnesses the vehicles come with, Hunt said, adding that if someone is also unfamiliar with driving a UTV, they need to take it slow and drive safely.
Other parties that responded to the UTV rollover included Utah State Parks, Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue and members of the Washington County Search and Rescue team.
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