Collision causes 2 cars to lock together at intersection of Riverside Drive, River Road

ST. GEORGE — First responders cleared the scene of a two-vehicle collision Wednesday morning while traffic continued to flow through the intersection.

St. George police and fire crews respond to the scene of a two-vehicle collision, St. George, Utah, Dec. 18, 2019 | Photo by Ryann Richardson, St. George News

St. George Police Officer Burkeley Christian told St. George News a gold Chevrolet Suburban was following a white Ford SEL Hybrid just before 9:30 a.m. as they traveled west on Riverside Drive and approached the intersection with River Road.

As they approached the intersection, the traffic light changed from yellow to red, and the Ford came to a stop. The Chevrolet was unable to stop in time, colliding with the rear end of the Ford and pushing the vehicle into the intersection.

As traffic continued to flow on all sides, officers and firefighters worked to separate the vehicles, which had been locked together due to the force of the collision. Traffic was minimally impacted for northbound traffic on River Road.

Christian said drivers are expected to begin to clear the intersection, if it is safe to do so, when the traffic light changes to yellow.

St. George police and fire crews respond to the scene of a two-vehicle collision, St. George, Utah, Dec. 18, 2019 | Photo by Ryann Richardson, St. George News

“Drivers don’t always go through the intersection on a yellow light,” he said. “Make sure you have enough distance between the vehicle in front of you to make sure you can stop safely and in time so you don’t run into the back of the other vehicle.”

Both drivers were the only occupants in their respective vehicles, and neither driver reported any injuries. Christian said both drivers were wearing their seat belts at the time of the incident.

Although airbags did deploy in the Chevrolet, both vehicles were operable, and both parties involved were able to drive their cars from the scene. The driver of the Chevrolet was issued a citation for following too closely, as drivers are required to give enough distance to allow a following car to stop in time, Christian said.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

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