Police: Improper I-15 lane merge leads to 3-vehicle wreck

A tow truck removes a Chevrolet Cruze from the scene of a collision involving three vehicles on southbound Interstate 15 at mile marker 13, St. George, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A driver merged into an occupied lane on southbound Interstate 15 Saturday, causing her own car and two other vehicles to leave the road and crash, police said.

The incident happened shortly before 5 p.m. when the driver of a white Chrysler 300 sedan entered the interstate via the on-ramp at Exit 13, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Austin Ipson said.

Chevrolet Cruze at the scene of a collision involving three vehicles on southbound Interstate 15 at mile marker 13, St. George, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“A driver in the second lane was seeing that the person was trying to merge over and started moving over but made contact with another vehicle in the left lane,” Ipson said, adding that it was a black Chevrolet Cruze in the middle lane that made the initial contact.

Ipson said the Cruze struck the vehicle in the left lane, a silver Honda Accord, causing its driver to overcorrect, with the Accord ending up in the median on the east side of the southbound lanes of I-15.

After hitting the Accord, the Cruze then reportedly struck the Chrysler 300 that was in the right lane, and both of those cars ended up crashing into the terrain on the west side of the interstate.

Chrysler 300 is loaded onto a tow truck at the scene of a collision involving three vehicles on southbound Interstate 15 at mile marker 13, St. George, Utah, April 7, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

“The car that was in the far right lane rolled and came to a stop, and the Chevy Cruze also went off the right side with it and came to a stop a further distance away,” Ipson said.

All three vehicles involved sustained significant damage and needed to be towed from the scene. However, no injuries were reported, and no one was transported for treatment.

“Everyone was wearing seat belts and airbags deployed in some of the vehicles,” Ipson said. “Everyone walked out OK.”

Traffic on I-15 was impacted for about 45 minutes while responders tended to the scene and tow truck crews removed the wrecked vehicles.

The woman driving the Cruze was cited for merging into an occupied lane, Ipson said.

A Washington City Fire Department fire engine also briefly responded to the scene.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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3 Comments

  • utahdiablo April 7, 2018 at 10:01 pm

    Driving is no longer a pleasure here in southern Utah…always on edge watching for the next knucklehead to smash into you….only going to get worse, and much more so

    • comments April 8, 2018 at 6:34 pm

      well, you remember that movie Road Warrior? I keep meaning to weld some armor plate onto my vehicles. Should help.

    • Sparky April 9, 2018 at 11:10 am

      I almost got rear-ended and side wiped the other day on north bluff, its a shame so many people have concealed carry around here, i really wanted to stop mid traffic and throw the guy behind me a beat down.. I miss the 90’s

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