This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
St. George police Wednesday were trying to determine what led to a single-vehicle crash that left one woman dead and another in serious condition.
St. George police Sgt. Craig Harding said speed, alcohol, drugs and possible distracted driving all were potential factors being investigated, but the cause and chronology of the 10:25 p.m. crash remained unknown.
The vehicle reportedly was going too fast — by some estimated up to 80 mph — when it approached a southbound curve on Red Cliffs Drive and East Rdige Drive, near the Outlets at Zion mall.
Police said that 21-year-old Whitney Kopenhefer of St. George died when that car went off the road and struck a pole, plowed through a chain-link fence and slammed into a concrete drainage culvert before rolling multiple times.
Kopenhefer was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and was dead at the scene.
The second woman, identified as 22-year-old Johanna Crawford of St. George, was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center, where she remained on Wednesday.
Harding said investigators were unsure which of the women was driving at the time of the accident.
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