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ENTERPRISE, Washington County — Police suspect an impaired truck driver hauling fuel was involved in an accident that forced the closure of I-15 Wednesday in southern Utah for more than nine hours.
About 2:10 a.m., a Maverik fuel tanker traveling south on I-15 tipped onto its side near the Kolob Canyon interchange. Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Todd Johnson said he did not know immediately the cause of accident, but he said investigators notified him that impaired driving was suspected of being a contributing factor.
The driver was taken to a hospital in St. George with minor injuries. An estimated 4,000 gallons of fuel spilled onto I-15, he said.
Investigators notified (Johnson) that impaired driving was suspected of being a contributing factor.
About 4:30 a.m., a semitrailer traveling north on I-15 that was stopped due to the residual backing from the first accident was hit from behind by a third semitrailer that did not slow down, Johnson said. The impact from the collision caused the semitrailer that was hit from behind to lose part of its load — refrigerated cucumbers — onto the freeway, Johnson said.
The semitrailer driver who ran into the back of the stopped truck suffered minor injuries.
The freeway was shut down in both directions as all accidents were cleared. Northbound traffic was moving through the area again about 8 a.m.
The freeway was completely reopened just after 11:30 a.m.
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