Truck rolls on interstate, driver extricates himself despite multiple fractures

April 17, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — A rollover on Interstate 15 near Beaver Dam, Arizona, was triggered when the driver fell asleep Wednesday while traveling north from California.

Shortly before 1:30 a.m. MST, officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to I-15 northbound near mile marker 6 where they found a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup truck upside-down and partially blocking one northbound lane, Arizona Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Bottoms said.

The 21-year-old driver was outside of the vehicle with multiple injuries.

Mercy Air was dispatched to the scene shortly after the initial 911 call and the man was treated at the scene by EMTs from Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire and Rescue while the helicopter was en route.

The man was loaded onto the helicopter and flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center where he was admitted with multiple fractures, including his right arm, thumb, finger and collarbone, Bottoms said.

The driver, who lives in Bakersfield, California, told officers he was heading north on the interstate when he fell asleep, and was jarred awake as the truck hit the rumble strip.

Startled, he overcorrected by turning the steering wheel sharply, causing him to lose control of the truck, which veered toward the right shoulder of the interstate until it overturned, landing upside-down near the shoulder.

Despite his injuries, he was able to climb out of the truck on his own and call for help, the trooper said.

The driver was properly restrained at the time of the crash, and the truck sustained extensive damage and was later towed from the scene.

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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