UTAH, November 19, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) ─ For families of teens killed in car accidents, the road to healing is incredibly difficult.
Some of those families are hoping by sharing stories of the lives, and especially the deaths of their loved ones, they can help prevent someone else from living the same nightmare.
In conjunction with the “Don’t Drive Stupid” campaign, the Utah Department of Health joined forces with the Utah Department of Transportation and the Zero Fatalities team to let the teenagers know this could happen to them.
“We had to find a way to make these numbers real,” said Jenny Johnson, Utah State Health Department spokesman. “We knew we needed a way to start saving these lives.”
Johnson said organizers started the Memorial Book in 2007, when 40 teens were killed on Utah roads. “We reached out to the families of those teens and asked them if they would be willing to help,” she said. “We worked with them and helped them to write their stories and the Zero Fatality team then took those stories and created the Memorial Book.”
Johnson said it’s hard knowing they will be reaching out to new suffering families every year.
“The stories are always sad, but we are able to bond with these families, offer grief support and way for them to heal,” Johnson said. “We also gather to celebrate the lives of their loved ones during a memorial event every year.”
This years campaign features 10 teens killed in 2014. Their families have shared the tragic events that lead to the deaths of their teens in hopes that others can avoid the pain of losing a loved one in a car crash.
According to the Utah State Health Department, 29 teens died on Utah roads in 2014. Almost half of those teens were not wearing a seat belt. Since the Utah graduated driver license (GDL) laws went into effect in 1999, there has been a 65 percent decrease in the rate of teens ages 15 to 17 killed in motor vehicle crashes.
The site encourages teens to learn from these stories. They want everyone to talk with loved ones, friends, classmates, and students about these tragic stories and set rules whenever driving or riding in a car.
Katherine Joyce Hancock, 15, of Eagle Mountain was killed on July 24, 2014, when she and her family were hit by a drunk driver on their way to Tooele. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Ryan McCutchen, 19, of Roy, was killed June 25, 2014, when a friend of his attempted to make a left hand turn directly in the path of an oncoming car traveling 50-60 mph. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Ryker Lance Dattage, 18, of Hyde Park, was killed in a head-on collision after falling asleep while driving through Logan Canyon. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Angel Stringfellow, 19, of Ogden, was killed on October 9, 2014 in a rollover while travelling with a friend to check out Dixie State College in St. George. Angel was not wearing her seat belt and was ejected. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Jacob Carlos Santos, 15, of West Jordan, was killed on August 23, 2014. Jacob was driving with his grandmother and due to a large truck blocking his view, he pulled out of an intersection directly into the path of an oncoming truck. Both Jacob and his grandmother were killed on impact. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Cambrie Allyn Cozzens, 18, of Riverton, died on November 9, 2014 when she and her boyfriend were involved in a crash on their way to a friend’s mission farewell. Cambrie, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, took the full force of the impact and died instantly. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Nickolas Stamatakis, 15, of Wellington, was killed on August 16, 2014, while riding his dirt bike. Nickolas failed to stop before crossing the highway and collided with the trailer of a diesel truck. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Joseph Michael Martinez, 16, of Ogden, died on November 1, 2014 while riding his skateboard. Joseph was hit by a truck who then left the scene of the accident. As Joseph lay injured in the middle of the road, a second car ran over him, killing him instantly. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Natalie Paige Holt, 19, of St. George, was killed on July 9, 2014 when her rolled across the median on I-15. Natalie, who was not wearing her seat belt, was ejected and died at the scene. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
Candace Jo Wines, 17, of Garland, died Halloween night, 2014. Candi was passing a semi-truck when she was sucked in toward the semi. Candi over corrected and flipped into the median. She was ejected out of the driver’s side window and died at the hospital from her injuries. Photo Courtesy: Utah Health Department
How are you coping?