CEDAR CITY — Two separate crashes an hour apart on Interstate 15 in Iron County on Friday night left two people dead and at least five others injured.
Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randy Riches said the first crash was a single-vehicle rollover that happened at approximately 8:15 p.m. on southbound I-15 near mile marker 90, about 12 miles north of Parowan.
Multiple people were ejected from the vehicle, Riches said, adding that two were pronounced dead on scene, two were airlifted by medical helicopter and one was transported to a hospital by ground ambulance.
Saturday morning, Utah Department of Public Safety released additional details about the rollover, including that the two occupants who died were both teenage female passengers, one 19 years old and one 17. Both were ejected from the vehicle, which was a Honda Civic, the statement said. The Honda’s male driver and a female passenger sustained critical injuries and were flown by air ambulance to a hospital, while a fourth female passenger sustained moderate injuries and was transported by ground to a local hospital.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, Riches said.
Then, on the northbound side of the freeway one hour later, at approximately 9:15 p.m., the driver of an approaching vehicle rear-ended a vehicle that was stopped in the backed-up traffic, sending it into the vehicle in front of it. One patient from that collision was flown to the hospital via air ambulance, while another was transported via ground, Riches said.
Both sides of the roadway have since been cleared and traffic is flowing normally, Riches told Cedar City News shortly after 11 p.m. Friday.
This is a developing story.
This report is based on preliminary statements from law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Updated July 8, 2023, 10 a.m. to include additional details from Utah Department of Public Safety, plus a photo.
Also, below is a video clip submitted by a bystander showing the vehicles involved in the second crash, on the northbound side of I-15:
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.