Man suffers serious arm injuries after UTV rollover on Sand Mountain

In this file photo shown for illustration purposes, off-road vehicles traverse Sand Mountain in Sand Hollow State Park, Utah, April 20, 2013 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A California man was injured on Sand Mountain in Sand Hollow State Park Friday afternoon following a UTV rollover.

Park personnel and others responded to the rollover around 2:20 p.m. When they arrived, they found the 32-year-old man with his arm pinned underneath the vehicle, Sand Hollow State Park Manager Jonathon Hunt said.

The rollover was evidently triggered by the driver making a sharp turn in the sand, he said.

“When you turn too quickly, the sand out there tends to catch those tires,” Hunt said.

Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue and the Washington County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team helped get the man off the mountain and to a waiting ambulance. He was then taken to St. George Regional Hospital.

The man had extensive injuries to his arm, Hunt said, adding that a passenger who had been riding in the UTV when it rolled appeared unharmed.

Both the driver and the passenger were wearing helmets and seat belts at the time of the rollover.

People have a natural urge to put their arms out in an attempt to steady themselves, Hunt said, adding this likely led to the driver getting his arm stuck under the UTV.

The best thing to do is to keep your hands and arms inside the UTV like they instruct on amusement rides, he said.

Due to the summer heat, Hunt said there haven’t been as many incidents on Sand Mountain as not as many people have come out to recreate. However, he expects that to change as temperatures decrease in the fall.

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

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