Unlit trailer sets off 3-vehicle pileup on I-15 near Leeds that leaves driver seriously injured

Toyota Rav4 is heavily damaged following three-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 24 in Washington County, Utah, Jan. 5, 2023 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A darkened trailer being pulled by a vehicle reportedly triggered a three-car pileup on southbound Interstate 15 in the Leeds area shortly before 5:40 a.m. Thursday.

Passenger car sustains heavy damage during three-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 24 in Washington County, Utah, Jan. 5, 2023 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

Police say one driver was seriously injured when his vehicle flipped after hitting the concrete median and was then struck by two approaching cars that did not see the overturned SUV in time to avoid a collision.

Officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to what was initially reported as a multi-vehicle crash that possibly involved five cars on southbound I-15 near mile marker 24 in Leeds.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden told St. George News that a Utah Department of Transportation supervisor was first to arrive on scene and confirmed there were three vehicles involved. All three cars – a 2010 Ford Edge, 2013 Ford Focus and 2019 Toyota Rav4 – were heavily damaged and blocked both lanes of travel.

Roden also said that initial reports broadcasted over the radio indicated a possible fatality, but when troopers arrived they confirmed that all three drivers had survived the crash. The 51-year-old man driving the Ford Edge was seriously injured and transported to St. George Regional Hospital for evaluation and treatment. The other two drivers declined to be transported to the hospital and were checked out by emergency medical personnel at the scene, Roden added.

From the evidence collected during the investigation, troopers say they determined that at the time of the crash, the Ford Edge was heading south in the left lane of travel when the driver encountered a vehicle pulling a trailer with its lights off. As the Ford closed the distance, the driver swerved to the left to avoid colliding with the darkened trailer and struck the concrete barrier. The Ford overturned and was thrown back into the travel lane upon impact.

Utah Department of Transportation traffic camera catches aftermath of three-vehicle crash on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 24 in Washington County, Utah, Jan. 5, 2023 | Photo courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

Meanwhile, the driver of the Ford Focus was also heading south just as the Edge was thrown back into the travel lane and T-boned the overturned vehicle. The impact caused the driver to lose control of the Focus that went across two lanes of travel before striking the concrete barrier running alongside the right shoulder. The focus came to rest partially blocking the outside lane of travel.

The third vehicle, the Toyota, was heading south along the inside lane when the driver came upon the overturned Edge in the middle of the travel lane. “At the last minute,” Roden said, and with little time to react, the Toyota struck the open driver’s side door of the Edge before striking the concrete median.

Both southbound lanes were shut for nearly two hours to allow responders to remove the damaged vehicles and to clear debris from the roadway.

The Utah Highway Patrol, Hurricane Valley Fire District, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Utah Department of Transportation’s Incident Management Team responded and tended to the scene.

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, 2023, all rights reserved.

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