From Deseret News archives:
Collision kills 1, leaves 5 critical in Washington
The wreck took place on a straight stretch of state Route 59 in the Apple Valley area, between Hurricane and Hildale, and the road was dry, said Sgt. Dan Ferguson of the Utah Highway Patrol. And there were no reports that the driver of the pickup — 18-year-old Jared Allred of Colorado City, Ariz. — was driving recklessly before drifting into oncoming traffic, Ferguson said.
"Right now we are going under the assumption, being it was 11:30 at night, he may have possibly fallen asleep," Ferguson said. "We are drawing blood and doing tests, but we didn't see any indicator of alcohol or drugs....There was no reason for this to have happened."
The pickup slammed into the passenger car, killing the driver, 46-year-old Darlene Begay of Hurricane. She probably died on impact, Ferguson said.
The truck kept going toward a full-size semi pulling two trailers.
"The semi saw the first collision, got on the brakes and did everything to try and stop," Ferguson said. "The (pickup) truck kept coming at him and they hit head-on."
The impact stopped the pickup but caused the semi to swerve off the right side of the road.
"The semi almost immediately burst into flames and it literally burnt to the ground," Ferguson said. "The only thing recognizable was the engine transmission.
"The (semi) truck driver wasn't critical. He was able to get out of the truck and use a cell phone."
The highway was closed until about 6:45 a.m. Saturday while crews worked to clean up the wreckage.
It took at least 45 minutes to extricate Allred from the pickup truck because "his lower extremities (were) pinned in so bad," Ferguson said.
Allred was in critical condition, as were two passengers in the pickup, Jason Cox and Jared Cox of Hildale. Begay's sister, Clara Nez, 39, and another passenger in the car, 21-year-old Derek Danielson, were also in critical condition. The semitruck driver, Glade Westwood, 50, of St. George, also was injured.
Ferguson said charges may be filed, pending the investigation.
It was the second fatal accident on the highway in five days, Ferguson said. An Arizona woman was killed on the highway Monday, when the sedan she was driving rolled. The woman had swerved to avoid a pickup truck that was stopped in traffic to make a left-hand turn.
E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com
