WASHINGTON CITY — A motorcyclist laid down his motorcycle before colliding into the rear of a vehicle in a construction zone on Interstate 15 on Tuesday afternoon.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Joe Pastor said the 75-year-old man acted quickly to avoid serious injury when traffic suddenly backed up likely due to the construction area congestion by “laying down” his 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The St. George dispatch center received an emergency call at 3:27 p.m. reporting a personal injury involving a motorcycle incident on I-15 northbound near milepost 11. He was traveling in the left lane when the incident occurred, according to the highway patrol.
The area currently is under construction, and the incident occurred where three lanes usually are open, but due to the road work, it is reduced to two open lanes.
Pastor said that authorities don’t think speed was a factor and luckily for the man, he was wearing a helmet and sustained minor injuries.
“If he wasn’t wearing his helmet, it would have been a different story,” Pastor said.
Gold Cross Ambulance transported the man to St. George Regional Hospital.
Pastor said traffic one lane of traffic was opened upon the arrival of first responders and remained for about 35 minutes. Utah Department of Transportation webcams showed backed-up traffic on I-15 northbound for several miles.
This is the second crash in five days in the construction zone between exits 10 and 13. On Friday, a concrete mixer crashed into a water truck near mile marker 12 on I-15 north after the driver was reportedly blinded by the glare of the morning sun.
Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden told St. George News the driver of the concrete truck was seriously injured in the crash.
Pastor reminded drivers to be aware of their surroundings when negotiating through construction zones.
“It backs up fast and quick,” he added.
No citation was issued.
Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Washington City Fire Department also responded to the scene.
This report is based on preliminary statements from fire or law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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