T-bone crash in Hildale severely injures 5 youths ejected during crash

July 14, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — A T-bone crash in Hildale severely injured five youths, two critically, when the young driver blew through a stop sign Saturday evening and was struck by an SUV.

Shortly after 5 p.m. officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash involving a John Deere Gator utility task vehicle with five juvenile occupants and a black GMC Yukon SUV with three occupants, Hildale-Colorado City Fire Chief Kevin Barlow said.

Due to the nature of the crash, four ambulances and multiple emergency support vehicles were dispatched to the scene.

Upon arrival responders found that all five youths were thrown from the Gator upon impact and suffered significant injuries.

Five of the youths were transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George; two of them were in critical condition and three in serious condition.

The two injured occupants from the Yukon were also taken by ground transport to the hospital for evaluation and treatment, Barlow said, while the third in the Yukon was uninjured.

The driver of the Gator was heading north on Mulberry Street, which is an unpaved road, Barlow said, and continued through the intersection of Uzona Avenue without stopping at the stop sign when it was struck by the Yukon traveling on Uzona Avenue.

The force of the impact was enough to deploy the airbags in the Yukon, Barlow said, as well eject the unrestrained youths from the Gator.

Chief Mark Askerlund of the Colorado City Marshal’s Office said that officers responded to the crash, “which was a significant collision,” adding that the youths did not have the protection of a vehicle and instead were in a UTV, which definitely added to the severity of the injuries.

The Marshal’s Office is addressing the issue of underage driving and off-road vehicle safety at the present time, he said.

The Hildale-Colorado City Fire Department sent three ambulances as well as additional rescue units while Hurricane Valley Fire District sent one ambulance.

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

Email: cblowers@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews