According to Kanab City Police, just after 8 a.m., a vehicle carrying one passenger attempted a left turn off Kanab Creek to head northbound on Highway 89a, and while crossing the lane it impacted another vehicle carrying four passengers in a head on collision.
Police theorize that the busy time of day - school hours on the main route to the elementary school - and the position of the sun may have contributed to the impairment of the eastbound driver’s vision, resulting in them turning directly into the path of the westbound vehicle.
States Police Chief Tom Cram, “Some of the passengers weren’t wearing seatbelts, resulting in quite a few scrapes and bruises … all airbags deployed, so most of the injuries were minor. Everyone involved self-transported to the hospital, nobody needed to take the ambulance.”
Per the police report, traffic was obstructed on the intersection for about a half hour.
Authorities caution vigilance in areas where traffic control methods have recently changed, especially from drivers who are used to driving the route as a part of a routine; safety officials state that routine can lead to habits which can be unsafe in an updated traffic situation, and caution drivers to always drive defensively.
