3-vehicle crash at Riverside Drive and River Road in St. George sends 1 to hospital

Written by Chris Reed
December 1, 2023

ST. GEORGE — One person was injured in a three-vehicle collision at the corner of Riverside Drive and River Road around noon Friday.

Damage to a maintenance van at the scene of a three-vehicle crash at Riverside Drive and River Road, St. George, Utah, Dec. 1, 2023 | Photo by Bridger Palmer, St. George News

The crash blocked lanes of both River Road and Riverside Drive and slowed traffic in all directions before it was cleared at 12:53 p.m.

Officers said the crash was a chain reaction between three vehicles – a blue Hyundai Elantra, a white Toyota Tacoma pickup and a white maintenance van belonging to an appliance repair contractor. All three vehicles were traveling west on Riverside Drive.

St. George Police officer Randal Burtis said the Hyundai was following too close to the van.

“That vehicle hit into the rear end of the other vehicle, which spun it around, which connected with the Tacoma,” Burtis said. 

The Tacoma driver had undisclosed injuries and was transported to nearby St. George Regional Hospital.

Evidence of the crash was visible on all three vehicles, with the front of the Elantra sedan and the rear of the van both crushed in. The pickup sustained damage to the front driver’s side. Airbags were deployed in the sedan and the pickup.

Burtis said the Hyundai driver was cited for following too close. 

St. George Police handled the investigation while the St. George Fire Department rendered aid. 

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

St. George News reporter Bridger Palmer contributed to this story.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, 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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