ST. GEORGE — The telematic device on a Jeep near the vicinity of Toquerville Falls alerted authorities to a rollover on Tuesday afternoon.
Due to the remote location southeast of the popular recreational area in Washington County known for waterfalls, contacting the registered owner of the vehicle was even more difficult.
Washington County Search and Rescue Sgt. Darrell Cashin said dispatchers received a warning a Jeep had rolled near the area of the falls at 3:11 p.m.
“”The GPS pinged it southeast of the falls,” Cashin said. “The telematic alarm on the Jeep gave us the registered owner’s contact information but she was not responding.”
Hurricane Valley Fire District medical staff arrived on scene and an airlift was dispatched before the crews were able to make contact with the woman, Cashin said.
“The Life Flight was actually in the air, just as a precaution,” he said. “We called it off when we received a text from her saying she was fine, but she needed a wrecker to get her vehicle.”
Cashin noted emergency personnel evaluated the woman at the scene to be sure she was well enough to deny medical attention. Then she was released after denying medical transport.
Washington County Sheriff Deputy Stephen Iverson said although the Jeep rolled multiple times down the hill, the woman was able to drive away from the scene at approximately 7:30 p.m.
After a winch provided by Winterton Towing helped the vehicle back to the road, the woman was able to drive off the mountain.
“The female driver was driving from Toquerville Falls and came to a tight turn when another vehicle was approaching,” Iverson said. “When she turned to miss the other vehicle, the Jeep rolled down the hill. She reported some soreness and stiffness and there was damage to the Jeep but she drove it off the mountain.”
Iverson warned when traveling outdoors on remote backcountry roads to always pay attention around tight curves and drive slow to avoid accidents.
A telematic device, sometimes called a black box in the automobile industry, plugs into a vehicle’s computer system via a port under the dash.
Sometimes used by employers for tracking mileage, speed and other metrics, a SIM card and modem can be coupled with telematic devices to enable communication via cellular network for added stolen vehicle tracking and crash reporting features.
According to the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, telematics in public safety terms refers to “electronics that provide fee-based location and communications services.”
Advanced Automatic Crash Notification is just one of many telematic functions that the association defined.
“It is linked to customer service centers that field calls, provide services themselves or transfer emergency calls to appropriate emergency call centers,” the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials website states. “It is also capable of receiving data back from the customer service center. Some of the issues that have arisen include reception, reliability, routing, handling and funding.”
Other systems feature Vehicular Emergency Data Set, which is an XML-based standard for reporting collision and medical data elements.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Photo Gallery
A Jeep making a tight turn on the road to Toquerville Falls rolled several times near Toquerville, Utah, April 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News
Washington County Search and Rescue responded to a Jeep rollover on the road to Toquerville Falls near Toquerville, Utah, April 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News
A Jeep making a tight turn on the road to Toquerville Falls rolled several times near Toquerville, Utah, April 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Search and Rescue, St. George News
A wrecker responded to a Jeep rollover to provide winch services on the main road to Toquerville Falls near Toquerville, Utah, April 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Winterton Towing, St. George News
The scene from the landing spot of a Jeep making a tight turn on the road to Toquerville Falls that rolled several times near Toquerville, Utah, April 23, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Winterton Towing, St. George News
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