ST. GEORGE – An attempt to change the song on the radio resulted in an SUV flipping onto its side Tuesday night.
Around 9:20 p.m., emergency responders were dispatched to the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane where they found a 2015 Ford Escape that had flipped on its left side and was extensively damaged.
The driver, a 39-year-old man, told the responding St. George Police officers at the scene that he had been southbound on Indian Hill’s Drive when he reached over to change the song on the stereo. This action led to the SUV veering to the right and partially into a ditch, St. George Police Officer Lona Trombley said.
The officer responding to the incident determined that the right passenger-side tires ended up in a concrete ditch that sits along the roadway. The SUV traveled like this for about 50 feet before hitting the end of the ditch as it ducked under Gubler Lane. The impact caused the SUV to flip onto the driver’s side and come to a stop.
The driver injured his right hand, Trombley said, and was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center by ambulance for care.
While airbags deployed in the vehicle, Trombley said, the driver said he hadn’t been wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred.
The mangled SUV had to be towed from the scene and the driver was ultimately cited for careless driving.
Gold Cross Ambulance and the St. George Fire Department also responded to the incident.
This report is based on statements from emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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A 2015 Ford Escape flipped onto its side following the driver’s attempt to change the song on the radio, causing the SUV to veer off the roadway near the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane in St. George. The driver injured his right hand and was taken to the hospital. No one else was involved in the incident, St. George, Utah, Aug. 1, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 2015 Ford Escape flipped onto its side following the driver’s attempt to change the song on the radio, causing the SUV to veer off the roadway near the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane in St. George. The driver injured his right hand and was taken to the hospital. No one else was involved in the incident, St. George, Utah, Aug. 1, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 2015 Ford Escape flipped onto its side following the driver’s attempt to change the song on the radio, causing the SUV to veer off the roadway near the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane in St. George. The driver injured his right hand and was taken to the hospital. No one else was involved in the incident, St. George, Utah, Aug. 1, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 2015 Ford Escape flipped onto its side following the driver’s attempt to change the song on the radio, causing the SUV to veer off the roadway near the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane in St. George. The driver injured his right hand and was taken to the hospital. No one else was involved in the incident, St. George, Utah, Aug. 1, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 2015 Ford Escape flipped onto its side following the driver’s attempt to change the song on the radio, causing the SUV to veer off the roadway near the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane in St. George. The driver injured his right hand and was taken to the hospital. No one else was involved in the incident, St. George, Utah, Aug. 1, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 2015 Ford Escape flipped onto its side following the driver’s attempt to change the song on the radio, causing the SUV to veer off the roadway near the intersection of Indian Hills Drive and Gubler Lane in St. George. The driver injured his right hand and was taken to the hospital. No one else was involved in the incident, St. George, Utah, Aug. 1, 2017 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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Twitter: @MoriKessler
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm ya OK. That’s your story and guess sticking to it
Hmmmmmmmmmmm Ya OK
I would expect that excuse from a teenage driver, not a grown man!!!
I honestly think speeding has more to do with it!!!
Most modern vehicles have the radio controls on the steering wheel……
I hope the police will be checking this guys smartphone for texting, or other distracted driving activity.
This could have turned out worse, if it had occurred earlier on the day, with pedestrians around.
Now that is a Expensive Play List…..just glad this dude wasn’t driving neaxt to me at the time