Driver arrested, charged with DUI after hitting 2 vehicles on SR-389 near Colorado City

Dodge Charger is heavily damaged and the driver is arrested following a three-vehicle crash on state Route 389 in Mohave County, Ariz., Feb. 1, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Colorado City Marshal's Office, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An Arizona driver was arrested for suspected DUI following a three-vehicle crash on state Route 389 near Colorado City, after the driver struck two vehicles and went off the roadway.

Toyota Camry is heavily damaged in three-vehicle crash on state Route 389 in Mohave County, Ariz., Feb. 1, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Colorado City Marshal’s Office, St. George News

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to SR-389 in Mohave County on a three-vehicle crash involving a Dodge Challenger, a FedEx delivery truck and a Toyota Camry, Arizona Department of Public Safety Trooper Thomas Callister said.

Officers arrived to find the vehicles partially blocking the highway. The driver in the Camry sustained minor injuries and was treated by the emergency medical crew at the scene, he said.

At the time of the crash, the Dodge was heading west on SR-389 from Fredonia to Colorado City and was following behind the FedEx delivery truck “extremely close,” according to a witnesses that Callister said stopped and spoke to authorities at the scene.

According to the report, the Dodge driver pulled out into the eastbound lane to pass the delivery truck, but after seeing oncoming traffic, he attempted to return to his lane and sideswiped the Camry as he did so.

At the same moment the Dodge struck the Camry, it also struck the FedEx truck. Since the driver of the Dodge was following so closely behind the delivery truck before he pulled out, he was “basically sandwiched in between the two vehicles,” the trooper added, which caused extensive damage to both the Camry and the Dodge, which were towed from the roadway following the crash. The delivery truck was left with minor damage

Chief Robb Radley with the Colorado City Marshal’s Office said the Dodge was found off the shoulder of the highway after the driver lost control of the vehicle during the impact.

At the scene, Callister said the 48-year-old man driving the Dodge showed signs of possible impairment, and he was later arrested and transported to the Mohave County Detention Center in Kingman for suspected DUI.

Callister went on to say the incident is still under investigation and further charges against the Dodge driver “are likely” forthcoming.

The delivery truck driver did not report any injuries at the scene.

Officers with Colorado City Marshal’s Office also responded and tended to the scene that took several hours to clear following the crash, along with the Hildale/Colorado City Fire Department that sent an engine and an ambulance.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!