Driver falls asleep, veers through oncoming traffic and into fence on Brigham Road, police say

ST. GEORGE — A driver was transported to the hospital Tuesday afternoon after she reportedly fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a residential fence on East Brigham Road.

The aftermath of a car crash on Brigham Road, St. George Utah, Dec. 29, 2020 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

St. George Police Officer Burkeley Christian told St. George News that just after 3 p.m. a female driving a Volkswagen car with four passengers was traveling eastbound on Brigham Road, when she fell asleep from fatigue. After veering across the two westbound lanes and over the north-side sidewalk, the car continued through some vegetation and crashed into a brick wall and wooden fence in the backyard of a home between Desert Hills Drive and Bloomington Hills Drive, he said. The female driver was reportedly going the speed limit and did not brake before the collision.

The airbags deployed and the front of the Volkswagen was smashed. The car came to rest just a few feet in front of a vintage minecart stored in the backyard of the residence. Christian said no residences were reported as damaged.

St. George Fire Department, St. George Police and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene.

The driver was transported by ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center for a head injury, Christian said, adding that the injury is not severe.

A wrecker works to remove a car from the scene of a crash on Brigham Road, St. George, Utah, Dec. 29, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Susanne Nielsen, St. George News

“She was able to walk to the ambulance with the ambulance crew,” he said.

Christian said passengers in the car told him that the driver had been working extensively over the holidays, potentially contributing to the fatigue, and further impairment was not suspected.

The four passengers in the car were also asleep when the driver fell asleep, Christian said, adding that none of the passengers sustained injuries and all occupants were wearing seatbelts.

Westbound Brigham Road was temporarily closed to one lane as the car was towed from the scene.

No citations were reported.

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

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!