RICHFIELD, Utah, May 6, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Family members are remembering 15-year-old Erik Nicholas Alldredge as someone with many friends who loved the outdoors.
Alldredge died in a Richfield car crash on Tuesday night when he was riding with two other teens on a dirt road west of town. Alldredge was standing up through a sunroof as he shot video from the Hyundai Sonata, and the car flipped, pinning him and ending his life.
According to Richfield police, two people have been charged in the case. One is the 14-year-old boy who was driving the vehicle, reportedly at unsafe speeds. That teen has been charged with manslaughter.
The other person charged is Carlos Reyes, 26, who reportedly traded alcohol, a 12-pack of Twisted Tea, to the cars’ third occupant, a 16-year-old boy, in partial payment for a disabled truck in a transaction made through Facebook. Reyes faces one charge of selling, offering or furnishing an alcoholic product to a minor — a class A misdemeanor.
Alldredge’s family states in his obituary they are glad the end came fast.
“We take solace in knowing that he didn’t suffer but took his last breath shortly after the vehicle he was in flipped onto its roof, pinning him under the car,” says the tribute, in part.
“Erik was a freshman at Richfield High School where he had so many friends. Erik’s favorite thing to do was go for a cruise in the mountains with his friends and family, whether it was on a side-by-side, a 4-wheeler, a truck, or a car.
“He enjoyed taking pictures of nature while on these adventures. When Erik was not in the mountains you would find him with a Bluetooth speaker outside blasting the music he loved to listen to, probably by a bonfire. Erik had a passion for trucks and cars, knives, and tinkering with anything he could get his hands on.”
The obituary adds, “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the first responders, and law enforcement and their families for the sacrifices they make for our community.”
Funeral services have been scheduled for Saturday, May 13. See details here. In lieu of flowers, donations toward funeral costs are requested. A family member has also set up a GoFundMe account that says it seeks to raise funeral costs. Find it here.
That accounts notes that “Erik died doing what he loved to do, spending time with friends, cruising around the mountains of Richfield.”
