Hail causes 4 vehicles to slide off I-15 north of Cedar City

Ford Explorer at the scene where four separate vehicles left the Interstate 15 roadway due to icy hail conditions north of Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 13, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Four drivers lost control of their vehicles in separate, but nearly simultaneous, incidents on Interstate 15 a few miles north of Cedar City Saturday afternoon.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Bambi Baie said a hailstorm hit the area near mile marker 67 about 2:30 p.m., covering the already wet roadway with icy pellets.

The slippery roads, coupled with drivers traveling too fast for conditions, caused the vehicles to hydroplane, she said.

The most serious crash was a rollover that occurred on the northbound side and involved a reddish orange 1999 Ford Explorer being driven by an 18-year-old female.

“Witnesses saw her go off the roadway, and there’s a culvert down there,” Baie told Cedar City News at the scene. “She hit that and rolled. She was wearing a seatbelt, but she hit her head on that windshield pretty good.”

The driver, who was alone in her vehicle, was transported by Gold Cross Ambulance to Cedar City Hospital for evaluation and treatment, Baie said.

Ford Mustang at the scene where four separate vehicles left the Interstate 15 roadway due to icy hail conditions north of Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 13, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

A short distance from that crash, also on the northbound side, a silver Ford Mustang slid off the road and was stuck in the weeds along the right shoulder.

Meanwhile, on the southbound side of the interstate, a white Mazda passenger car went off the right side of the roadway and rolled once before coming to rest on its wheels amid a thick clump of sagebrush. Additionally, about 100 yards south of that crash, a dark gray passenger car also slid off the road.

None of those three vehicles’ occupants reported any injuries, Baie said.

The two vehicles that had only slid off the road appeared to still be drivable, but both vehicles that rolled sustained heavy damage and needed to be towed from the scene.

Multiple UHP troopers responded, assisted by Cedar City Police officers, Iron County Sheriff’s deputies and Cedar City Fire Department personnel.

Baie encouraged drivers to slow down during adverse weather conditions and to always wear seat belts.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. 

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

ended up in the center median.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, 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!