ST. GEORGE— A woman was sent to the hospital with serious injuries Monday night after crashing into palm trees and boulders on Dixie Drive in an apparent DUI incident. However, her situation could have been much more dire had a witness not stopped to provide aid.
The incident occurred at 11:45 p.m. Monday night, St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin said, when a 25-year-old female driver who was traveling south on Dixie Drive swerved across all four lanes before crashing into the landscape of Swiss Bank Storage, located at 540 N. Dixie Drive.
Justin Tibbs told St. George News he was on his way to a nearby gas station when he saw a white Kia Forte drive past him in an oncoming lane at a high rate of speed.
“I noticed that the car took a really sharp turn, but I didn’t really think too much of it,” Tibbs said.
He continued to his destination, and on his way back, he noticed that the same car had plowed through a palm trees and over several boulders in front of Swiss Bank Storage.
“She must have passed out at that exact moment,” Tibbs said, “and thank goodness I was half a block ahead of her or she would have smashed right into me.”
But in the moment, Tibbs didn’t think as to what caused the crash but rather just ran to the vehicle, where he found that the woman, who had not been wearing a seat belt, had been thrown into the floor space of the passenger seat of the car and was unconscious.
Not wanting to cause further injury, Tibbs did not move her at first. However, he saw the woman had bitten through her tongue during the impact and blood was pooling in her airway, causing her to suffocate.
Realizing that she may die if he didn’t move her, Tibbs pulled the woman out of the car, cleared the blood from her airway and tilted her head to the side until she began breathing again.
“She started breathing, and I just stayed there until the paramedics arrived. But she did smell like alcohol was on her breath,” Tibbs said.
The driver was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center where she was admitted with a fractured jaw, fractured collar bone, concussion and missing a piece of her tongue, Atkin said.
Police took a blood sample, which is being tested for blood alcohol content. As of publication of this report, the results have not been made available; however, Atkin said the driver will receive a citation for driving under the influence.
“That’s a painful lesson to learn to not drive drunk if that was the case,” Atkin said.
This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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