‘Dukes of Hazzard into my yard’: Car sails over alley into backyard of Washington City home

WASHINGTON  CITY — Lori Black was in her bathroom “on her throne” when a car sailed over the back fence of her home and into her yard on Wednesday morning. 

Homeowner gestures after an out-of-control Honda Sonata flew into the backyard of her home, Washington City, Utah, March 6, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

And the surprising thing was that Black was not surprised.

“I knew it was going to happen someday. She just (went) Dukes of Hazzard into my yard,” she said, adding that she sees and hears crashes on Telegraph Road a block away from her Lonsbury Circle home all the time.

She said she also previously had another car crash into her front fence after it got loose from a tow truck, nearly hitting a fire hydrant. 

“We hear it all the time because there’s accidents and you can hear the sound, but this sounded, I want to say, more earthy, which sounds crazy,” Black said.

Police said the black Honda Sonata flew from a parking lot, through a fence, over an alley and a wood-plank fence, and finally through a tree before landing in the backyard garden.

The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the backyard of Black’s home at the corner of Lonsbury Circle and 500 West, just behind Rowley’s Red Barn. Police are still investigating the incident but say the woman, the sole occupant of the Honda, lost control. 

“She got confused, it appears,” Washington City Police Sgt. Josh Finona told St. George News. “We’re not sure if there’s anything medical involved yet or not, but we’re still investigating.”

Washington City Police detectives walk in alley between parking lot of Rowley’s Red Barn and home where an out-of-control Honda Sonata flew into the backyard of a home, Washington City, Utah, March 6, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Police said the driver, who appeared unhurt and was speaking with officers, reported having some back pain. A Gold Cross Ambulance crew on scene assessed the woman and cleared her but still took her in for observation to St. George Regional Hospital.

The arriving emergency medical technicians saw another problem. 

“How are we supposed to get that car out?” one yelled out. “The real story is how they’re going to get this car out.”

As of 11 a.m., a tow truck team from Zips Towing – the second to come on scene after an initial crew couldn’t figure out how to get the car out – was still trying to get the car out. After reportedly receiving permission from Black, they began to cut through the back fence to pull the car out with a chain over the alley onto a flatbed. 

This is a developing story.

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