ST. GEORGE, UT — Two people were cut out of a tree after their car went off Interstate 15 in Washington County on Monday, according to Utah Highway Patrol. The crash happened when an elderly driver straightened out a curve on northbound I-15, sending the vehicle off the road, over a ditch and into a tree.
Authorities said both the driver and a passenger ended up lying in the tree after the wreck. Medical and fire crews were working to free them from the branches as responders reached the scene.
The extent of their injuries had not been released Monday. Officials did say the crash occurred two miles south of Ash Creek Reservoir.
Utah Highway Patrol says the car left the roadway after a curve
Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Zach Randall said the driver was traveling northbound on I-15 when the vehicle went off the road. The car crossed a ditch before coming to rest in a tree, creating an unusual rescue scene for first responders.
Randall identified the driver as elderly and said a passenger was also inside the car. He did not provide additional details about the occupants or what led to the car leaving the highway.
The stretch of interstate where the crash happened is in Washington County, in the southwest corner of Utah. That area includes the approach near Ash Creek Reservoir, which crews used to help locate the scene.
Fire and medical crews worked to reach the occupants in the branches
Because the car ended up in a tree, responders had to work carefully to get both people out. Utah Highway Patrol said medical and fire authorities were involved in the rescue effort at the crash site.
The location likely made the response more difficult than a typical roadside crash. Instead of being trapped inside the vehicle alone, the occupants were lying in the tree, requiring crews to cut them free from the surrounding limbs.
No timeline was immediately given for how long the rescue took or which agencies handled the extraction. Officials focused Monday on getting the driver and passenger out safely.
Injuries had not been disclosed as of Monday
Authorities did not release the condition of either occupant after the crash. That means it was not immediately clear whether the injuries were minor, serious or life-threatening.
In situations like this, officials often wait until patients are transported and assessed before sharing medical updates. Here, neither Utah Highway Patrol nor the Utah Department of Transportation offered a description of the injuries on Monday.
The lack of a public injury update left the immediate outcome of the crash uncertain. Officials said only that two people had to be removed from the tree after the wreck.
Crash scene was reported two miles south of Ash Creek Reservoir
The Utah Department of Transportation said the crash happened about two miles south of Ash Creek Reservoir. That location information placed the wreck along a rural stretch of northbound I-15 in Washington County.
Drivers in the area may have encountered emergency vehicles while crews responded to the scene. No information was provided about lane closures, traffic delays or whether the interstate remained open during the rescue.
The crash was still being documented Monday, and officials said the situation remained active enough that details were limited. The unusual nature of the wreck drew attention as responders worked near the highway.
Officials had not said what caused the vehicle to leave the road
So far, investigators have not explained why the car drifted off the interstate. Utah Highway Patrol only said the elderly driver straightened out a curve before the vehicle went off the roadway.
That leaves open questions about speed, distraction, a medical issue, road conditions or another factor. None of those possibilities had been confirmed by authorities Monday.
The crash is the latest reminder that even a brief loss of control on a highway can lead to a complicated rescue. In this case, the car’s path off I-15 and into a tree turned a roadway collision into a difficult recovery effort for first responders.
