UPDATED: St. George Boulevard reopened after Motorcycle-SUV collision closes part of it

Written by Chris Reed
May 10, 2024

ST. GEORGE — A motorcyclist was seriously injured after colliding with a sports utility vehicle on Friday morning, officers said. As police continue investigating, the westbound side of St. George Boulevard from 300 West to Bluff Street was closed throughout the morning.

The side of a Chevy Tahoe SUV is crushed after a collision with a motorcycle at the corner of St. George Boulevard and 400 West after a collision with an SUV, St. George, Utah, May 10, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The crash occurred just after 8 a.m. at the corner of St. George Boulevard and 400 West across from Walgreens. The westbound portion of St. George Boulevard stayed closed until 12:30 p.m.

At the scene, a crumpled motorcycle with paper plates was on its side in the middle of the entry from 400 West to the boulevard. Nearby, a beige Chevy Tahoe SUV had the middle of its passenger side crushed in with side airbags deployed. 

The motorcyclist, who police noted was wearing a helmet, was transported to St. George Regional Hospital.

“The motorcycle rider was transported in pretty serious condition, unconscious and with some obvious injuries,” St. George Police Lt. Dave Williams told St. George News.

Officers later updated the rider’s condition.

“He’s got several broken bones, possible brain bleed, some internal injuries, but they said he’s stable,” St. Georg Police Officer Bryan Hendrix said.

While the investigation continues, there are some details police have been able to piece together. And it starts with the motorcyclist speeding and evading police.

“One of our officers was trying to pull him over up on Red Hills and he took off from that officer, basically evading and took off at a high rate of speed,” Hendrix said.

Police said in the interest of safety, they backed off, due to the potential of a high-speed chase putting other drivers and pedestrians in danger.

Shaded area indicates portion of St. George Boulevard that was closed, St. George, Utah, May 10, 2024 | Image courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News | Click to enlarge

“We’re hoping to avoid this,” Hendrix said, pointing at the motorcycle wreckage.

The sole passenger and driver of the SUV, which reportedly belonged to a construction company, was uninjured. He was given a sobriety test and a preliminary drug test at the scene, which officers said he passed.

While the investigation continues, police said the SUV driver is not being cited at this time.

Hendrix said police have been able to review video of a CCTV camera at a nearby business and saw the SUV exiting from the Smiths Market/Walgreens parking lot and pulling out slowly. The motorcycle, moving at a high rate of speed, hit the side of the SUV, officers said.

Police said the crash is still under investigation, and an accident reconstruction crew was called out to the scene.

Because of that, Williams said as of 8:30 a.m., it may be “two to three hours” before the boulevard is reopened. Road closed signs were placed at the corner of the boulevard and 300 West. 

As the morning turned to afternoon, the road closed signs and cones were removed, as were the vehicles and the road was reopened.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Gold Cross Ambulance and St. George Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Updated 12:30 p.m., with St. George Boulevard reopening.

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This is a developing story.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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