Video shows driver roll vehicle after narrowly missing trooper


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PAROWAN, Iron County — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper who was almost hit by a distracted driver Sunday talked about the experience after the dramatic dashcam video was released Monday.

The accident occurred around 5 p.m. on I-15 about 3 miles from the state Route 143/Parowan Interchange exit, according to UHP Trooper Bambi Baie. A 55-year-old Cedar City woman was driving northbound when she drifted onto the right shoulder of the freeway due to distracted driving, UHP said. Investigators said Monday there was evidence she was using her smart phone and had looked down at it, but was not making a phone call.

"(There was) no water or rain or debris on the roadway," Baie said. "Nothing that would cause you to swerve. When I spoke with the lady driver at the hospital, she stated that her phone vibrated and she had just looked down."

Baie said she was parked on the shoulder of the road making a traffic stop when she heard squealing tires.

"I was waiting for dispatch to get back to me with information and that's when I heard tires squealing," Baie said. "I looked over into that side mirror and you could just see the vehicle coming around, swerving to miss me. And then she actually swerved back to the right in front of the car that I had stopped and then rolled off the freeway."

Photo credit: Utah Highway Patrol
Photo credit: Utah Highway Patrol

Baie said the driver looked up just in time to swerve left, narrowly missing rear-ending her vehicle by only 3 feet. The driver then overcorrected to the right and drove the vehicle off the road where it rolled several times.

The woman had to be extricated from the vehicle and was transported to Valley View Medical Center in serious condition. She was then airlifted to a St. George hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

"When you sit down and really think about how close you came, it's unnerving," Baie said. "I'm just glad I didn't get hit. I'm sorry that she was injured, but I'm just grateful that nobody was killed."

Potential charges against the driver were pending Monday and Baie said it serves as a reminder for drivers to be careful and avoid distractions behind the wheel.

A new law passed in 2014 aimed at decreasing distracted driving made it illegal to use a cellphone or laptop to send texts, emails or instant messages while driving. It is also illegal to dial phone numbers, access the Internet, take or view pictures or video or enter data into a mobile device while driving.

Contributing: Stace Hall, Mike Anderson

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