CEDAR CITY — A woman escaped serious injury Wednesday morning after her vehicle slid off the icy roadway and rolled multiple times.
The incident was reported just after 8:30 a.m. on northbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 39 in the northernmost part of Washington County.
New Harmony Fire Lt. Richard Carter told St. George News that the driver of a Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV was heading north when the vehicle “caught a patch of ice” and slid off the roadway.
“It appears to have rolled two to three times,” Carter added.
Carter said it appears the driver may have been going too fast for conditions.
“Her tires were good,” he said. “Everything else seemed good on the car.”
“It was about 26 degrees on the freeway when we got there,” Carter added. “So, everything was iced over. It goes from being warmer at the bottom of Black Ridge to being frozen at the top of Black Ridge.”
Although the vehicle ended up on its side, the driver was able to get out on her own, with the assistance of other motorists who stopped to help. The passersby stayed with her until emergency responders arrived.
“She was wearing her seat belt and was essentially unharmed,” Carter said. “We had our EMT on scene check her out, and then our paramedic just double-checked her so that we were able to contact Gold Cross and free them up because she was not going to need to be transported.”
“She wasn’t even cut up or anything, which is pretty amazing,” Carter added as he emphasized the importance of wearing seat belts.
The vehicle sustained heavy damage and needed to be towed from the scene.
Carter said although initial reports had mentioned a possible vehicle fire, that was not the case.
“It was strictly the steam from the radiator,” he said.
In addition to New Harmony Fire Department, Utah Highway Patrol and Washington County Sheriff’s Office also responded, as did the Utah Department of Transportation Incident Management.
Additionally, Gold Cross Ambulance was initially paged but was canceled when their services weren’t needed.
Photo Gallery
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover near mile marker 39 on northbound Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of New Harmony Fire Department, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover near mile marker 39 on northbound Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of New Harmony Fire Department, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover near mile marker 39 on northbound Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of New Harmony Fire Department, St. George News / Cedar City News
Scene of a single-vehicle rollover near mile marker 39 on northbound Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Jan. 11, 2023 | Photo courtesy of New Harmony Fire Department, St. George News / Cedar City News
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