SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah - Saratoga Springs Police are looking into the cause of an accident that resulted in the death of a 72-year-old grandmother.
The accident happened near 600 West Crossroads Boulevard, just West of Walmart at Pioneer Crossing.
Officers say that Lillian Strickland was driving to work around 6 a.m. when another driver in an SUV crossed a painted median and crashed head-on into Strickland's driver-side door.
The driver of the SUV is 29-year-old Katie Nielson. She sustained minor injuries as a result of the accident but was released from American Fork Hospital later Tuesday afternoon.
While police are looking into the cause of the accident, the family of Lillian Strickland is choosing to focus on something more positive.
“Her laugh was just contagious," said Chyann Penovich, a family friend. "It just made you smile."
"She was a very wonderful person," agreed Tony Strickland, Lillian's son.
Tony Strickland said his mom was one of a kind, married 52 years to her husband Ken, she helped raise three kids and was a grandmother to 10 more.
Tony Strickland said that's what made Tuesday's news so hard to handle.
"It's very gut wrenching," Tony Strickland said of hearing the news. "It's something I never thought would happen."
The void that Lillian leaves behind is vast, Tony Strickland said.
He explained his mother was working full-time to take care of her husband's medical bills.
She also helped out around the house, often cleaning eight hours a day once she got off of work.
Tony Strickland said there's no replacing that void.
"It's going to be really tough, but I know she'd want us to keep plugging along," he said.
