Vehicle flies off Old Highway 91 and rolls into wash; driver faces charges

IVINS — A sedan went off the road and rolled several times into a wash on Old Highway 91 at milepost 12 near the Shivwits Reservation Friday night.

Two occupants of a Camry were seriously injured after leaving the road at high speeds and rolling several times on Old Highway 91, Ivins, Utah, Nov. 10, 2023 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St. George News

Washington County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Lucas Alfred said just before 5 p.m., a white Toyota Camry was traveling at excessive speed northbound when the driver failed to turn and left the road, causing the vehicle to roll down a small hill into a wash.

Firefighters, EMTs and police had to hike through rough terrain to the vehicle and carry out both adult passengers who were strapped on backboards back to the awaiting ambulances.

The vehicle was occupied by a man and woman in their younger 20s. One was ejected from the vehicle, Alfred said. They were transported to St. George Regional Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

At the scene, the smashed Camry was over 150 feet from the spot where it left the road. Tire tracks were apparent where the Camry left the road, but no braking skid marks were visible.

The bumper and one tire were over 25  feet from the vehicle. Crushed from all sides, the vehicle went through a barbed wire fence, breaking several small logs and came to rest in a wash near a tree and more logs.

Several circular Buzz Ball alcohol bottles were found littered around the vehicle.

Two occupants of a Camry were injured after leaving the road at high speeds and rolling several times on Old Highway 91, Ivins, Utah, Nov. 10, 2023 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St. George News

The operator of Rowley Bros. Towing arrived at about 6:45 p.m. and decided they would have to use their crane. Retrieval of the vehicle was expected to take a couple of hours.

Booking records identified the driver as Salvador Mejia, Jr.. After he was treated at the hospital and released, he was arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility facing charges of negligently operating a vehicle causing serious bodily harm, open alcohol container and driving on a suspended or revoked license.

As of 11:30 p.m. Friday, the passenger was still under the care of hospital staff. Her identity was not released.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department and Santa-Clara Fire and Rescue responded and assisted at the incident scene.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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