A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
WASHINGTON COUNTY — A driver was sent to the hospital Saturday night after he went off the road on Interstate 15 and crashed his car into nearby boulders.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene of the single-vehicle crash involving a white Mitsubishi passenger car at approximately 8:30 p.m. on northbound I-15 near mile marker 27.
“What we do know, by way of statements, is we had witnesses say that this person flew by them at a really high rate of speed,” Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Austin Ipson said.
The car went off the right shoulder and went through a bushy area with several large boulders where it apparently made impact with some of the stones.
A witness who went to help the driver found the man trapped in the Mitsubishi and attempted to open the car door but cut his hand while trying to pry it open, UHP Trooper Grant Hinze said.
Emergency personnel from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue arrived shortly after and extricated the driver.
The driver complained of back pain and was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center for treatment. The severity of his injuries was unknown at the time this report was taken.
The good Samaritan who tried to help the driver out of the car was also treated at the scene for his cut hand.
The Mitsubishi sustained heavy damage, with the brunt of the impact appearing to affect its back end, which was crunched and mangled.
A wrecker later arrived with the task of towing the wreckage out of the myriad bushes, trees and boulders around which the car landed.
A Washington County Sheriff’s deputy also responded to the incident.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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Emergency personnel respond after a driver went off the road on Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
Emergency personnel respond after a driver went off the road on Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
Debris from a car is apparent near where a driver went off the road on Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
A Mitsubishi passenger car is heavily damaged after landing near boulders off Interstate 15, Washington County, Utah, Aug. 26, 2017 | Photo by Joseph Witham, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joseph Witham is a passionate journalist who has written, reported and edited for various publications since 2001. He is a Utah Valley University graduate with a bachelor's degree in communication. He loves Southern Utah's outdoors and hikes often in the region's red-rock canyons.