ST. GEORGE — A vehicle was totaled after rolling down a steep embankment. Still, the driver managed to climb at least 200 feet to the road above before being transported to the hospital.
At approximately 5:20 p.m., the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of a rollover crash near Little Creek Mesa Road in Apple Valley.
The road can accommodate dirt bikes and four-wheelers, but trucks, side-by-sides and other large vehicles cannot pass as a large boulder acts as an obstacle, Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul told St. George News. One side of the road is a shear wall and the other is a cliff.
One person got stuck while attempting to drive past the boulder and called a family member, who planned to pull him out from above, Paul said. As the family member backed into position, he appeared to have gotten too close to the hillside, losing his center of gravity and hitting the rock.
His vehicle rolled onto the road and then off the cliff, down an “extremely steep embankment,” coming to rest approximately 200 feet from the road against a tree, Paul said.
The truck hit multiple boulders, trees and other debris as it tumbled, and Paul said it was totaled. It’s unclear if the man was ejected from the vehicle or if he crawled out after it came to rest, but “by the time rescuers were on scene, he had actually climbed back up to the road.” He declined to be transported by helicopter and was transported to the hospital via ambulance.
“(It’s) pretty incredible that he was able to do that,” Paul said about the man climbing up the embankment. “Because just seeing the condition that the vehicle was in and stuff, it’s pretty amazing that he walked away from that.”
The extent of his injuries was not yet known, but he may have sustained a head injury and was bleeding, Paul added.
Photo Gallery
The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News The scene of a rollover near Little Creek Mesa Road, Apple Valley, Utah, May 25, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Deputy Jacob Paul, St. George News
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