Debris in road causes trio of car crashes on I-15

The scene of an accident on southbound I-15 near mile marker 51, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 13, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Bambi Baie, St. George / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — A truck colliding with debris southbound on Interstate 15 lost control and veered into the median south of Cedar City Saturday morning. Two more vehicles reportedly hit debris in the area as well.

The scene of an accident on southbound I-15 near mile marker 51, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 13, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Bambi Baie, St. George / Cedar City News

The first crash at around 6:30 a.m. involved a GMC pickup truck pulling a 45-foot trailer loaded with an additional trio of cargo trailers. Witnesses told troopers the truck hit some debris traveling southbound near mile marker 51, lost control and crashed into the median. The truck damaged nearly 200 feet of guardrail, coming to rest atop it. The accident took more than two-and-a-half hours to clear. No injuries were reported.

Upon arrival, Utah Highway Patrol troopers could not locate any debris other than those knocked from the the cars involved.

“The trooper on scene never saw debris necessarily,” Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Bambi Baie told St. George News. “There was debris from other vehicles. The driver of the GMC said he didn’t really know what happened. All of the sudden, he was on the guardrail. It was a witness that said they thought they saw him hit something in the roadway. They thought they saw sparks coming out from under his car.”

The GMC came to rest on top of the guard rail. It followed the guard rail down the median, including across an overpass, destroying the barrier along the way. The truck was totaled, but the male driver was uninjured. He was reportedly wearing a seat belt.

With the trailer coming to rest close to the left lane of southbound I-15, the passing lane was closed. It remained that way as crews worked to extract the trailer and truck from the guard rail, a process that took nearly two hours.

Two other passenger vehicles hit debris in the area as well and were disabled, but were removed quickly.

Baie said weather did not factor into these incidents. However, weather was the primary cause of two accidents further north on I-15 later in the morning.

No citations were issued in any of the crashes.

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, 2021, all rights reserved.

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