Holiday traffic jams as 6-mile stretch of I-15 in Iron County sees 4 rear-end crashes in under 2 hours

Scene of a rear-end crash involving five vehicles on northbound I-15 north of Paragonah, Utah, Nov. 27, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Multiple vehicles were damaged in a series of rear-end collisions on Interstate 15 in Iron County on Sunday afternoon as the Thanksgiving holiday weekend drew to a close.

Scene of a rear-end crash involving five vehicles on northbound I-15 north of Paragonah, Utah, Nov. 27, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News / Cedar City News

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Bambi Baie said all four crashes were reported within a two-hour period on a six-mile stretch of northbound I-15, between mile markers 82 and 88 in northern Iron County. Baie characterized the traffic at the time as being “very, very heavy,” as it had been throughout most of the day.

Baie said the first crash happened just before 1 p.m. near mile marker 88. It was a rear-end collision involving two vehicles, she said.

“They pulled off, so it was not a traffic issue whatsoever,” Baie said, adding that the driver in the rear vehicle was cited for following too closely.

“Then, there was another crash that happened at milepost 84.5,” Baie added. “That, too, was just two cars, no injuries, where one car rear-ended another car.”

“While I was working on that one is when a five-car crash happened right there in front of me,” Baie added. “I think the driver was looking at the other accident, and she just slammed into the back of the other cars.”

That secondary crash at mile marker 84.5 resulted in two teenagers being transported via ambulance to the hospital, Baie said.

“They were both in good condition,” she said. “One had some whiplash, and some back and tailbone pain and headaches. They were just making sure that they were OK.”

The damaged vehicles in that incident included a Ford Explorer, a Kia minivan and three pickup trucks, Baie said.

Scene of a rear-end crash involving five vehicles on northbound I-15 north of Paragonah, Utah, Nov. 27, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News / Cedar City News

The driver who caused the crash was cited for following too closely, Baie said, adding that additional charges are possible.

“I will be sending the reports over to the county attorney, who will screen for charges,” she said.

In addition, just prior to the five-vehicle crash, which happened shortly after 2:30 p.m., there was another non-injury rear-end collision at mile marker 82, Baie added.

Baie said the collisions serve as a reminder for drivers to leave adequate room between their own vehicle and others nearby.

“People need to give themselves space and others space,” she said, referring to the oft-cited two-second rule for gauging proper following distance.

“You can only go as fast as the car in front of you,” Baie added. “Just relax. We know today’s gonna be a heavy travel day. We know that, so just go with the flow.”

In addition to the crashes already mentioned, there were a few other incidents reported on I-15 later Sunday. Just after 5 p.m., a southbound pickup truck reportedly lost control of the camp trailer it was pulling, causing the trailer to roll onto its side on southbound I-15 near mile marker 38 in northern Washington County. No injuries were reported, although traffic was impacted for nearly one hour as responders worked to get the trailer upright and moved off the roadway.

Then, around 6:30 p.m., another crash happened on northbound I-15 near mile marker 82, but it was minor with no injuries, UHP reported.

Earlier in the afternoon, around 4 p.m., a vehicle fire on southbound I-15 on the mesa south of Mesquite, Nevada, also reportedly caused significant traffic delays.

This report is based on statements from law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. 

Cedar City News reporter Alysha Lundgren contributed to this article.

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