Elderly couple injured in rollover crash on I-15 near Leeds

A damaged Lexus SUV at the scene of a single-vehicle rollover crash on northbound Interstate 15 near Leeds, Utah, Oct. 24, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two people were injured in a single-vehicle rollover crash on Interstate 15 near Leeds on Saturday morning.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Larry Mower told St. George News the incident involved a gray Lexus SUV with two occupants, a married couple in their mid- to late-70s.

Mower said the vehicle was traveling on northbound I-15 in the far right lane.

“He was at milepost 23 and he left the roadway to the right,” Mower said of the male driver, adding that the vehicle struck some large boulders and rolled before coming to rest on its wheels, facing west, back toward the road.

The driver was unconscious and unresponsive when rescuers first arrived on scene, Mower said.

A damaged Lexus SUV at the scene of a single-vehicle rollover crash on northbound Interstate 15 near Leeds, Utah, Oct. 24, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News

“Some other motorists who were following stopped to help out,” he said, adding that the bystanders initiated CPR on the man, after which a Highway Patrol trooper continued the resuscitation efforts until medical personnel arrived.

Using an AED (automated external defibrillator), the medical personnel were able to revive the man and get him breathing again, Mower said, adding that the driver transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center via ambulance in “extremely critical” condition.

Meanwhile, the driver’s wife, who was in the front passenger seat, sustained only minor injuries.

“She has some rib pain and shoulder pain, but she’s doing fine,” Mower said, adding that the woman and her husband had both been wearing their seat belts.

Mower said the preliminary investigation indicates the driver may have experienced some sort of medical problem that contributed to the crash

“Right before the wreck, he told his wife that he felt like something was wrong, a little funny or fuzzy,” Mower said. “He made a comment that ‘it felt like what happened to him last time,’ but we don’t really know what that meant. And so, she told him to pull over, and that was the last thing she remembers.”

The Lexus was heavily damaged and needed to be towed from the scene.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. 

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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