ST. GEORGE — A collision involving three cars occurred at 1000 East and St. George Boulevard Tuesday evening after one car made an unsafe move within halted traffic. Following the collision, traffic was slowed and remained backed up on the Boulevard for about three to four blocks in both directions for approximately 20 minutes.
At about 5 p.m., a truck, an Acura and a Lincoln LS heading westbound were stopped at a green light at the intersection of St. George Boulevard and 1000 East, St. George Police Officer Jamison Hale said.
A Lincoln sustained damages after being crushed during a three-car collision on St. George Boulevard, St. George, Utah, Nov. 4, 2014 | Photo by Holly Coombs, St. George News
Though the light was green, the truck driver, an adult male, had stopped just before the crosswalk at the intersection and did not go farther, as he saw the crosswalk would become clogged with drivers if he moved forward, Hale said.
An adult woman was driving with her daughter in an Acura behind Rochelle Morales, who was driving the Lincoln LS behind the truck. She and the truck were stopped, Morales said, as the driver of the truck said, after the accident, that he was stopped because he didn’t want to clog the intersection.
The woman driving the Acura crashed into the back of Morales’s vehicle, which caused Morales to hit the truck, Morales said.
“The light was green and I was making no contact with the truck in front of me and the car came behind me, hit me and I crunched into the truck,” she said. “I got smashed in between the two cars.”
Both she and the truck driver were at a stop and unable to move while the Acura driver seemed to be moving too fast and caused the accident, Morales said.
Not seeing that traffic was stopped ahead of her, she saw the light was green and moved forward, hitting the Lincoln LS in front of her and causing the Lincoln LS to collide with the truck, Hale said.
No injuries were reported by any of the occupants in the vehicles, Hale said.
The driver of the Acura was cited for unsafe movement from a stopped position, as she had already been stopped in traffic when the light turned green.
The St. George Police Department was the only responding agency to attend to the accident scene.
A left-turning lane and the far right hand lane, which allowed drivers to turn right or go straight, was open to moving traffic for about 10 minutes until other officers arrived to help Hale clear the accident scene.
The Lincoln LS appeared to be totaled, having sustained a crushed front end, including the radiator, which lost fluid after the vehicle hit the truck. The truck received little, if any, damage, while the Acura had minimal and fixable damage, Hale said.
The truck and the Acura were able to drive off without being towed, Morales said.
“I was the one that had to have my car towed,” she said.
Ed. Note: CLARIFICATION of vehicles made based on Nov. 5 interview with Morales.
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