Teenage driver rolls pickup truck on washboard gravel road north of Cedar City

Scene of a single-vehicle rollover crash on Lund Highway road north of Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 28, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

IRON COUNTY — A teenage driver who police say was going too fast on an unpaved road rolled his pickup truck on Lund Highway several miles north of Cedar City.

The incident, which involved a white Ford Ranger, occurred around noon Friday about a mile west of where Lund Highway meets Horse Hollow Road.

Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Humphries said the 17-year-old male driver of the pickup was heading southeast toward Cedar City when he lost control, going off to the left side of the road first, then over to the right side, where the truck rolled three times before coming to rest on its wheels.

“It comes down to an inexperienced driver on a road that is not meant for those speeds,” Humphries said. “He was driving too fast for the conditions of the gravel road.”

The teen, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries. He was evaluated by Gold Cross Ambulance personnel at the scene but was not transported.

Scene of a single-vehicle rollover crash on Lund Highway road north of Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 28, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Humphries said the driver wasn’t wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

“He’s lucky,” Humphries added. 

Because the driver is a minor, information about whether he was cited was not available. 

Humphries said such accidents are not uncommon on the unpaved portions of the Lund Highway and connecting roads. In most cases, he said, excessive speed is the main factor.

“We have three or four rollovers out there every year,” he said. “They hit those washboards, and they’re toast. They can’t control it.”

The pickup truck sustained major damage and was towed from the scene.

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