SAND HOLLOW STATE PARK, Utah, July 18, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified a 13-year-old who died in an UTV accident at Sand Mountain Thursday.
The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation said in a news release the teen has been identified as Malachi King-Castro, who is from the Denver area.
The accident occurred in the BLM Sand Mountain OHV Area adjacent to Sand Hollow State Park, officials said.
At approximately 2:45 p.m., park rangers responded to the sand dunes within the BLM Sand Mountain OHV Area after receiving reports of a UTV crash involving a family from Colorado, the news release said.
“King-Castro was a back seat passenger inside the UTV when the accident occurred,” the news release said. “While he was wearing his seat belt, he sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. He is not believed to have been wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.”
Officials added that it is believed no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
“The Utah Division of Parks and Recreation extends our condolences to the friends and family impacted by this incident,” the news release said.
The other two riders of the UTV said they were unhurt. In all, about nine family members were at the site, officials said.
The accident site, atop Sand Mountain, is about five miles south of the reservoir. The area is in Washington County, east of St. George.
Malachi was my friend. He was always so full of light, at school and everywhere else. He always brightened my day. I heard the news from a friend and broke down in tears. He will truly be missed.