ST. GEORGE — In the space of a few moments, the lives of a pair of Short Creek locals and a visiting family were upended following a disastrous crash on state Route 389 just south of the Utah-Arizona border.
The two locals – traveling in a white Chevrolet Equinox – reportedly attempted a left turn from the highway onto eastbound Arizona Avenue before colliding head-on with a blue Nissan SUV carrying the visitors.
The Colorado City Marshal’s Office was notified at 6:26 p.m., dispatching officers and coordinating an emergency response with the Hildale-Colorado City Fire Department. Emergency personnel arrived to find both vehicles heavily damaged and pushed off to the north side of the road, said Chief Robb Radley with the Marshal’s Office.
“It’s a really busy, stressful road, but that intersection isn’t particularly renowned for traffic accidents,” Radley said. “The white vehicle turning left failed to yield to the blue one as it was coming straight down the highway. There were two people in the white vehicle, and they were both transported (to the hospital). Of the four people in the blue vehicle, three were transported.”
Radley said two of the passengers in the blue Nissan were juveniles but did not comment as to whether they were both injured or not.
The extent of each passengers’ injuries was not disclosed, as Radley said he was still awaiting feedback from the hospital and attempting to contact the families of those involved.
The initial assessment was serious enough to justify transporting five of the six travelers by ambulance to St. George Regional Hospital over 40 minutes away. Hurricane Valley Fire District even dispatched a pair of ambulances to assist in the aftermath of the crash.
No citations or charges have been issued at the time of reporting. An investigation is ongoing as the Marshal’s Office continues to investigate the scene and the circumstances leading to the collision.
The force of the collision pushed both vehicles mostly out of the roadway, so police and fire personnel were able to reopen one lane. Traffic was redirected around the scene until the road fully reopened about an hour and 15 minutes after the crash.
Photo Gallery
The scene of a crash near the intersection of Arizona Avenue and State Route 389, Colorado City, Arizona, April 18, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Colorado City Marshal's Office, St. George News Both driver and passenger in the heavily damaged Chevrolet Equinox were transported to St. George Regional Hospital by ambulance, Colorado City, Arizona, April 18, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Colorado City Marshal's Office, St. George News A family from out of state was traveling through the region in this blue Nissan SUV when they collided with a left-turning Chevy Equinox attempting to cross State Route 389, Colorado City, Arizona, April 18, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Colorado City Marshal's Office, St. George News Of the four individuals in the Nissan, three were taken to the hospital following the Monday evening crash, Colorado City, Arizona, April 18, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Colorado City Marshal's Office, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.