UHP says southern Utah crash due to medical issue

The Utah Highway Patrol says it appears a 49-year-old man suffered a medical event, possibly a heart attack, and died while trying to drive himself to a Cedar City hospital.

UHP Sgt. Todd Royce said the man was found dead in his car Monday. His Ford F-150 pickup truck had drifted off the eastbound lane of Highway 56 near mile marker 33, just west of Cedar City.

"What we are looking at is that this was a medical issue. There was no evidence of any braking prior to the truck leaving the road," Royce said on Tuesday.

The man, whose identity was being withheld pending notification of family, was accompanied by a female passenger. His body was turned over to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy.

However, UHP said the paswenger told troopers that the man was in distress prior to the accident and was on his way to Valley View Medical Center's emergency room at the time his vehicle drifted off the road.

The vehicle remained upright, though it did sustain minor damage.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims