ST. GEORGE — An accident reconstruction team was called to assist at an incident on West Sunset Boulevard after a motorcycle rider was seriously injured and transported to the hospital Saturday afternoon.

Officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to a reported vehicle crash shortly before 2 p.m. on West Sunset Boulevard near the Sunset Plaza involving a white Volkswagen Jetta and a Yamaha motorcycle.

St. George Police Department Sgt. Jeremy Needles told St. George News the rider was transported to St. George Regional Hospital by ambulance in serious condition.

At the time of the crash, the motorcycle was heading west on Sunset Boulevard in the inside lane as traffic was backing up in the outside lane near a shopping center. The Jetta exiting the plaza was stopped waiting for traffic to clear, which is when a motorist approaching the backup of cars stopped to allow the Jetta to pull out into traffic heading east on Sunset Boulevard towards Santa Clara.

The Jetta cleared the initial lane of travel, but as it continued towards the median, Needles said, it crossed paths with the motorcycle that slammed into the driver’s side of the vehicle, throwing the rider from the bike.

The front windshield on the Jetta was shattered as the vehicle came to rest near the median, while the motorcycle was tipped over a few feet away. The rider was heading straight in a clear lane of traffic and had the right-of-way at the time of the crash, the officer said.

The St. George Accident Reconstruction Team was called to investigate the cause of the crash — a process that was still underway several hours after the crash. The investigation is ongoing and no further information was available at the time of this report.

The St. George Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department and the Washington City Police Department responded and tended to the scene.

St. George City crews that were helping with traffic control for Ironman 70.3 were also on hand to assist with traffic control. Traffic in both directions of Sunset Boulevard was cordoned off just east of Dixie Drive while investigators were completing the accident reconstruction.

St. George Police Department public information officer Tiffany Mitchell said the motorcycle rider arrived at the hospital with serious injuries but was recently reported as “stable.”

This report will be updated as further details become available and the information is based on statements from police, emergency personnel or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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