This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Utah Highway Patrol says a trooper narrowly escaped injury when a drunk driver slammed into his cruiser on a southern Utah stretch of Interstate 15.

The crash occurred at 11 p.m. Saturday near mile post 13 in St. George. The UHP cruiser had blocked the left, northbound lane, the trooper having placed road flares and activated his cruiser's flashing emergency lights.

Ironically, the blockage had been put in place due to an earlier accident involving another DUI driver, UHP reported.

As the trooper stood outside his car, directing traffic into the remaining right lanes of travel, the second intoxicated driver crashed his Ford Focus into the back of the cruiser, UHP said.

The driver, who also escaped serious injury, was arrested and booked into the Washington County jail, where he remained Monday suspicion of DUI and other charges related to the crash.

On Sunday, yet another UHP cruiser was hit, this time by a semi-trailer rig on Interstate 84 in Box Elder County. No serious injuries were reported, as the trooper was outside his unit while providing traffic control at the scene of an earlier accident on Interstate 84.

The semi had entered a closed right lane, rear-ending the cruiser. The trooper was unhurt, but a firefighter suffered a possible broken ankle.

Twitter: @remims