Chain-reaction collision congests Mall Drive

ST. GEORGE — A chain-reaction collision on Mall Drive temporarily closed two lanes and resulted in three cars being towed Tuesday afternoon.

Damage to a vehicle involved in a four-car collision on Mall Drive, St. George, Utah, June 15, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

St. George Police responded to a four-car pileup on northbound Mall Drive just west of its intersection with South 3000 East before 1:30 p.m. The incident was the summation of two following-too-closely collisions as traffic backed up before the traffic light into Revere Health, St. George Police Officer David McDaniel told St. George News.

“We actually ended up with two collisions that involved two of the same vehicles, twice,” McDaniel said. “The white Kia ran into the white Toyota in a slow-speed collision. While they didn’t even have a chance to move yet, the white Suzuki then ran into the back of the white Kia at a much faster speed, pushed it into the Toyota which was then pushed into the Honda Passport.

“It was a little, tiny, two-car fender bender followed by a big four-car accident.”

The Kia, Toyota and Suzuki were towed with extensive damage. The Honda was dented on its back bumper and trunk door but was able to be driven away.

The location of a four-car collision on Mall Drive, St. George, Utah, June 15, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News

In the Kia, Toyota and Suzuki, the drivers were the only occupants of the vehicles. In the Honda was a man and a woman. No one was injured and all occupants in all vehicles were wearing seatbelts, McDaniel said. The airbags deployed in the Suzuki.

The drivers of the Kia and the Suzuki received citations for following too closely, while the driver of the Suzuki also received one for traveling too fast for conditions, McDaniel said, adding that the driver of the Suzuki was speeding but couldn’t give a figure.

He also noted that the resulting skid mark from the Suzuki’s impact was 94 feet long.

Cleaning crews sweep debris following an auto accident on Mall Drive, St. George, Utah, June 15, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

“This is totally following too closely,” McDaniel said. “You have to give yourself room to react to any dangers that come ahead of you. If you’re too close to they guy in front of you’s rear bumper and something happens, you’ve got perception and reaction time. No matter how good you think you are, your brain takes a second to realize there’s danger and then act.”

The two through lanes on northbound were closed while the accident was cleaned, congesting traffic to one lane as vehicles used a right-hand lane to circumvent the cones, cars and people. The accident was cleared by 2:10 p.m.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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