4 separate crash incidents in just over 2 hours on I-15 keep troopers, tow trucks busy

Scene of a crash involving a truck pulling a trailer on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 37, Washington County, Utah, Feb. 11, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY — Four separate incidents involving vehicle crashes along a stretch of Interstate 15 in northern Washington County on Friday night caused traffic delays and kept Utah Highway Patrol troopers busy.

Scene of a crash involving a truck pulling a trailer on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 37, Washington County, Utah, Feb. 11, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

UHP Trooper Jeff Adams said the first crash, which happened at approximately 4:45 p.m. on southbound I-15 near mile marker 37, involved a 2010 Dodge Ram pickup truck that was pulling an enclosed 22-foot trailer containing motorcycles.

“It appears that the wind was blowing a little bit,” Adams told St. George News, adding, “The driver was traveling at freeway speeds at 80 mph and the trailer started to fishtail. The driver lost control of it and subsequently left the roadway to the right side and the trailer flipped onto its side.”

None of the five occupants of the vehicle reported any injuries, Adams said.

“The truck did sustain damage but it was not disabled,” he added. “It was able to be driven away from the scene.”

Scene of a crash involving a truck pulling a trailer on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 37, Washington County, Utah, Feb. 11, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Although no citations were issued, Adams said the driver was given a warning to be cautious when towing trailers.

“Do not travel at freeway speeds due to fishtailing issues and trailers whipping from side to side,” Adams said. “Always reduce your speed when towing trailers.”

A short time later, about a mile north of that accident, a secondary crash occurred.

“We believe that was just a result of the backup of traffic from the initial collision at 37,” Adams said. “Vehicles and drivers were just following too close to one another. It was more of a chain-reaction domino effect that involved three vehicles, two of which had to be towed from the scene.”

Minor injuries were reported in that incident, but Adams said nobody was transported for medical treatment.

Then, around 6:30 p.m, on the northbound side of I-15 near mile marker 28, a 2020 Ford Explorer collided with a deer on the roadway, causing extensive damage to the vehicle.

“There were some minor injuries in that vehicle due to airbag deployment,” Adams said, adding that there were four female occupants inside the vehicle.

Finally, shortly before 7 p.m., back on the southbound side at mile marker 38, just south of where the first crash had been, a four-vehicle collision occurred, Adams said.

“That one was the most serious of all of them,” he said, adding that the crash was yet another chain reaction collision caused by drivers following too closely.

“A Dodge Durango crashed into the rear of a Hyundai Santa Fe, which crashed into a Honda Accord, which crashed into a Honda Civic,” Adams said, adding that all four vehicles were disabled in the crash and multiple occupants were injured.

One person was transported to the hospital via Gold Cross Ambulance, while two others were taken to the hospital by private vehicle, he said.

Although the wreckage from that last crash blocked both southbound lanes, Adams said they were able to get traffic through via the right shoulder of the roadway. Washington County Sheriff’s deputies provided support and assistance to UHP troopers at that scene.

Traffic was significantly impacted in all three of the southbound crashes, with some motorists experiencing delays of as long as one hour. The final crash scene was cleared at approximately 8:45 p.m., when the southbound lanes were reopened.

Only the northbound crash involving the deer did not slow traffic, Adams said. 

“They were off to the left shoulder and there was no traffic impact on that one.”

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

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