Thread: VVMC nurse dies in accident

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Article published Jan 29, 2007
VVMC nurse dies in accident
By RYANN RASMUSSEN
rrasmussen@thespectrum.com

CEDAR CITY - A nurse at Valley View Medical Center died early Sunday morning when she was struck by a vehicle after stopping to inspect an upside-down Dodge pickup truck on Highway 56 about 8 miles west of Cedar City.

Verlee Hunt, of Cedar City, was on her way to work when she noticed an overturned vehicle and wanted to make sure no one was trapped inside, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Brian Bairett said.

As Hunt was investigating the scene, a Chevy Suburban with a family inside traveling eastbound slammed into the truck at approximately 5:30 a.m., which in turn hit her. Bairett believes Hunt was killed on impact.

"(The driver of the Suburban) didn't see the vehicle in the road until the last second," Bairett said.

The family was transported to VVMC with injuries, but Bairett expects them to make full recoveries.

The driver of the Dodge pickup truck, 32-year-old Florencio Bernal, of Beryl Junction, has been arrested and charged with negligent homicide after he allegedly fled the scene of the initial accident, which occurred at approximately 4 a.m., Bairett said.

Authorities aren't sure why Bernal would have fled, Bairett said, but they are investigating beer cans found at the scene. Bairett said the suspect does not speak English and it's possible he may be an illegal immigrant.

When authorities found Bernal, Bairett said, he was at his home in Beryl Junction.

Bairett said the initial accident happened when the driver of the Dodge truck traveling westbound started veering to the left into the eastbound lane. The truck then hit a barrier, causing it to roll.

Cyndi Wallace, nurse administrator at VVMC, said Hunt will be missed because she knew her job well and her patients always came first.

"She was exactly what you wanted in a nurse," Wallace said of her former co-worker. "She was the total package."

After graduating nursing school in 1991, Hunt worked in home hospice care before joining the staff at VVMC about six years ago, Wallace said.

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How many more Americans have to die? Illegals have no business being here or driving!!

I agree that they shouldn't be here and driving. Many of them are worse drivers than the senior citizens or tourists.