Becky Hyde, suffers minor injuries, taken to hospital, after losing control of her car on I-15 near Cedar City, and crashing into a guardrail, where her car caught fire.

A Cedar City woman escaped with minor injuries after her vehicle caught fire as a result of a crash Tuesday at 2:23 p.m. on northbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 61.

The woman, identified as Becky Hyde, was driving her 2002 Honda Civic to work at an after school program at Canyon View Middle School when she approached a recreational vehicle towing a car in the outside lane that was moving very slowly.

“It was like it was standing still,” said Hyde.

Hyde checked the inside lane to see if she was clear to pass and when she looked back she was too close to the RV she said.

She moved quickly to the inside lane to avoid rear-ending the car being towed and began to fishtail at which point she tried to regain control of the car but was unable to do so.

Hyde hit the inside guard chain and was sent across both lanes of traffic where she crashed into the outside guardrail, she said.

It was at this point that Hyde was pulled from her vehicle by what she described as a “good Samaritan,” who had witnessed the accident and noticed that her car was on fire.

“‘Get out of your car,’ he said, ‘it’s on fire,’” Hyde said.

“I wanted to retrieve my purse before it got burned and when I returned the flames were coming through the dash,” Hyde said, “it didn’t take long after that for them to engulf the whole cab.”

Hyde received only minor injuries – burns to her hands, wrists and face – as a result of the airbag deploying and was not transported to medical facilities said the Utah Highway Patrol.

“Airbag burns are common injuries in car accidents,” said police, “and are generally a sign that the driver had both hands on the wheel.”

Despite being burned Hyde is grateful for the airbag, she said, and thinks that it saved her from more serious injuries.

She is recovering at home today and feeling blessed.

“I am so grateful to all the people who helped me yesterday and blessed that I didn’t hit any other car, or injure anyone else, or have any of my kids in the car with me,” said Hyde.