Police stress accountability in the aftermath of T-bone crash in St. George

ST. GEORGE — Two motorists traveling through an intersection just four blocks away from the police station crashed into each other after one allegedly ran a red light while westbound on 100 South Street.

Police and a tow truck operator worked to pick up pieces of debris and mop up leaked fluids from the damaged Mazda, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News

St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell said the crash was reported around 4 p.m., after a 21-year-old man driving a gray Mazda 3 failed to stop at a red light as he crossed 200 East Street. (See editor’s note).

Another driver in a gold Chevrolet Silverado had just entered the intersection going south when the Mazda plowed into the truck’s driver’s side, rotating both vehicles 90 degrees before coming to rest in the center of the roadway.

Despite serious damage to the Mazda’s engine compartment and a sizable dent in the Silverado, both drivers were uninjured and able to exit their vehicles safely after the collision.

In the process of investigating the crash, there was disagreement between the two parties involved as to who actually ran the red light. Mitchell said this isn’t entirely uncommon, so police have to use a variety of methods and their best judgment when deciding how to assign blame

“We try to talk to witnesses or check security cameras around the scene, but sometimes we just have to go off of what we can decipher from what we’re looking at,” Mitchell said. “It’s not always easy, but we just have to interview everybody involved, look at what the evidence is telling us and make our best judgment.”

A gold Chevy Silverado sustained damage on its driver’s side after allegedly running a red light and being struck by a gray Mazda 3, St. George, Utah, April 18, 2022 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News

For this particular crash, investigating officers relied on witness testimony and accident reconstruction training to come to the conclusion that the driver of the Mazda was at fault for failing to yield and was cited for running the red light, Mitchell said.

Ultimately, the crash caused minor delays while police and a tow truck operator worked to remove the totaled Mazda. The Chevy remained drivable and was retained by its owners.

The scene was cleared by 4:45 p.m. and traffic resumed as usual at the intersection after a brief disruption to east-west travel along 100 South.

Mitchell said the crash was an unfortunate example of a growing trend of reckless driving in the area. In fact, the Police Department had shared a local resident’s account of narrowly avoiding a collision with a red light runner earlier on Monday morning.

“It’s so frustrating,” she said. “I don’t know what it’s going to take to make people knock it off. Everyone wants us to go out and do all sorts of things, which we’re happy to do. But I’m big on accountability, and people – especially drivers – have got to make good choices, too.”

Ed. note: This report was revised with clarification from St. George Police to indicate that the driver of the Mazda was found to be at fault in the crash rather than the driver of the Chevrolet, as originally reported by police.

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

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