ST. GEORGE — The driver of the Family Dollar truck looked at the scene in the west Bloomington roundabout with his trailer decoupled from his semitractor about 50 yards from each other.
Trailer sits after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
“Well, I’ve had better days,” the driver, who declined to be named, said.
The semitractor-trailer separated while the driver negotiated the curves of the Bloomington roundabout at Interstate 15 just before 10:20 a.m. Wednesday. No one was hurt but the upper right quadrant of the traffic circle was blocked for more than an hour.
Traffic was slowed but the roundabout and the off- and on-ramps to southbound I-15 remained open.
“You can still get on if you work your way around that truck,” St. George Police Sgt. Wade Johnson told St. George News while the scene was being processed. “The roundabouts are open though. It’s just slow. It’s flowing. It’s just slowly flowing. This causes all kinds of traffic trouble.”
Drivers at the stopped trailer were diverted by police officers to Pioneer Road. While the I-15 south on-ramp, which is where the semitractor was parked, was open, some drivers opted to keep going on Pioneer to enter I-5 at Southern Parkway rather than turn around.
The driver told St. George News he had just come from the Family Dollar Distribution Center in a “fairly new” semitractor on River Road and had an uneventful ride up River and down Brigham Road and through the first roundabout. Then, halfway through the second roundabout the trailer unhitched.
Semitractor sits on the on-ramp to Interstate 15 after it decoupled from its trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Some vehicles initially went through the dirt in the center of the roundabout to get around the decoupled trailer. But there was no apparent damage anywhere other than some asphalt removal on the roundabout pavement from the two legs of the trailer.
Johnson said the Utah Highway Patrol will investigate the incident to determine if the issue was mechanical or driver error.
“It’s pretty cut and dry,” Johnson said. “Just the trailer coming off.”
After the trailer was initially going to be towed, it was instead re-coupled to the semitractor and driven to another site for further inspection.
The site was completely cleared by 11:45 a.m.
Photo Gallery
Drivers negotiate the Interstate 15 ramp and roundabout section of road after a semitractor-trailer decoupled from its trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Semitractor sits on the on-ramp to Interstate 15 after it decoupled from its trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Semitractor sits on the on-ramp to Interstate 15 in the foreground while the trailer it decoupled from sits in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Trailer sits after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Trailer sits after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Semitractor sits on the on-ramp to Interstate 15 after it decoupled from its trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Tow truck makes initial attempt to pick up trailer after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Trailer sits after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Coupling unit of a semitractor after the vehicle decoupled from its trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Trailer sits after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Legs lifted from trailer reveal damage to asphalt of west Bloomington roundabout after it decoupled from its semitractor, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Tow truck makes initial attempt to pick up trailer after it decoupled from its semitractor in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Driver looks on after semitractor is re-coupled with trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Utah Highway Patrol troopers inspect a semitractor after it decoupled from its trailer in the west Bloomington roundabout, St. George, Utah, Feb. 14, 2024 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News
Overhead view of west Bloomington roundabout shows area shaded that was blocked by decoupled semitractor-trailor | Image courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News | Click to enlarge
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