Driver arrested on felony DUI following rollover in St. George that left 2 juveniles with serious injuries

A man was ejected from a pickup truck and another passenger injured in a rollover on Snow Canyon Parkway near the Entrada housing development Wednesday shortly after 4 p.m., St. George, Utah, Dec. 22, 2021 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An Ivins man is in jail facing a felony DUI charge following a rollover on Snow Canyon Parkway that left two minors seriously injured Wednesday afternoon.

An accident reconstruction team works to determine the cause of a truck rollover on Snow Canyon near the Entrada housing development late Wednesday afternoon, St. George, Utah, Dec. 21, 2021| Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

On Wednesday, officers and emergency personnel responded to a single-vehicle rollover on Snow Canyon Parkway near the Entrada Trail shortly after 4 p.m. involving a pickup truck with three occupants, including two juvenile passengers, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

Police say the 17-year-old passenger was seriously injured when they were ejected and thrown more than 150 feet from the crash site during the rollover, while the 12-year-old passenger also sustained serious injuries, including a possible arm fracture.

Both passengers were transported to St. George Regional Hospital by ambulance. Medical staff later told authorities the teenager suffered a fractured pelvis and a broken clavicle.

A bed liner that appeared to have come from a second pickup truck was located in the eastbound lane, directly across from where the damaged truck came to rest, which was the first clue as to the possible cause of the crash. The liner was roped off and guarded by a police car while the accident reconstruction team was called out to conduct an investigation into the cause of the collision.

At the time of the crash, the black pickup truck was traveling behind a friend’s vehicle that was heading east on Snow Canyon Parkway, when all of a sudden, the lead vehicle’s bed liner came loose from the back of the truck and landed in the middle of the roadway.

The driver of the trailing pickup, later identified as Gavin Curran, swerved as the truck hit the liner, and then overcorrected, according to the report, which caused the truck to roll.

The truck rolled multiple times, ejecting the 17-year-old passenger in the process.

Meanwhile, the accident reconstruction team continued its investigation, taking a series of photos, measurements, and the team also had a drone fly over the area to take aerial photos of the truck and the surrounding scene.

The pickup sustained extensive damage included a smashed front bumper, shattered windows and tires that were flattened in the crash.

At the scene, officers conducted a field sobriety test on the driver. After Curran reportedly failed several of the exercises, he was transported to the police department for further evaluation.

During the evaluation, the suspect allegedly showed several signs of impairment associated with cannabis, including an elevated pulse and blood pressure, as well as drowsiness. According to the report, officers also noted an electronic cigarette that tested positive for THC was found inside the pickup that was still at the scene on Snow Canyon Parkway.

Curran reportedly told police he had smoked “a lot” of marijuana during a visit to Nevada over the weekend but said he had not used any of the substance on the day of the crash. After officers conducted a blood draw on the suspect he was transported to St. George Regional Hospital to be medically cleared.

Curran was then transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked on third-degree felony DUI with serious bodily injury, along with possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and driving without insurance, each a misdemeanor. He also faces improper lane travel and window tint violations.

St. George News reporter Sarah Torribio contributed to this report.

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

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