Man gets out of car on I-15; is hit by 2 other cars
WASHINGTON — A man who stopped his car in the middle of Interstate 15 Monday afternoon just south of the Green Springs exit also chose to get out of his car and step into traffic, according to witnesses.
“This guy in a PT Cruiser stopped for some reason, we don’t know. It appears his car was involved in some kind of crash.” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jake Hicks said of the 1:15 p.m. incident. “His car was somewhat disabled. He got out, stepped into traffic, according to the witnesses he appeared to purposefully step in front of the vehicles.”
Lori Novero of Las Vegas was driving the minivan that hit the man first.
“I saw him get out of his car. He was waving at me as if to tell me to slow down,” Novero said. “I swerved to miss him a couple of times, then he just threw himself onto the hood of my car. Bent the antenna and he hit the windshield and bounced off. We couldn’t miss him. We tried. And tried.”
The man wasn’t done, however.
Hicks said the man then threw himself at the next car in line, a car driven by a Las Vegas couple. He broke the right rear-view mirror off when he struck the vehicle, hit the pavement, and didn’t move.
“Other traffic came in and swerved just in time to miss him,” Hicks said. “The PT (Cruiser) driver, he remained there on the ground.”
Hicks said the man was transported in stable condition to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.
“I don’t understand why he would do something like that,” the passenger in the second car, Denise Hunt of Las Vegas, said.
Traffic was at a standstill for about 15 minutes, backing up quickly to the Bluff Street on-ramp. The left two lanes were eventually opened, the right lane remained closed for about an hour while investigation and clean-up occurred.
The PT cruiser was towed while the other cars involved were able to drive away after the investigation.
Hicks said no citations were issued and the incident remains under investigation.
Units from the Utah Highway Patrol, the Washington County sheriff’s office, Washington City Police and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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UHP Sgt. Jake Hicks talks with the people involved in the incident on I-15 where a man threw himself into their cars. The broken-off mirror on the second car is in the foreground. Washington, Utah, Feb. 20, 2017
The bent antenna of a Dodge minivan shows the impact that a man made when he threw himself at the van. Washington, Utah, Feb. 20, 2017 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News
The mirror missing on the second car that hit a man in I-15 Monday. Washington, Utah, Feb. 20, 2017 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News
A Las Vegas couple stands outside their car after a man jumped in front of it on I-15 Monday. The man’s PT Cruiser is seen in the background. Washington, Utah, Feb. 20, 2017 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News
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