WEBER COUNTY – A group of friends is counting their blessings after surviving a rollover accident, and they credit seat belts with saving their lives.
Nate Urban was driving to Huntsville Monday evening along with his four friends when he took a curve too fast.
“We hit some gravel and the car kinda spun out and started spinning and rolled,” Urban said.
Jayn Anne Petersen was riding in the passenger seat.
“Every time we hit I was waiting for the crunch, it never came,” Petersen said.
In the back seat, Morgan Smith, Melissa Miller and Jared Uribe held on to each other as the car flipped multiple times.
“I remember feeling pressure as we hit,” said Morgan Smith.
“The whole time when we were flipping, I started counting every time we hit really hard to keep my mind thinking on that,” said Melissa Miller.
Jared Uribe was terrified as well.
“I was waiting for my time to die or something," he said.
The car ended up in a nearby pasture. All five managed to get out of the car in one piece.
“We were blessed the back window blew out, the rear passenger window blew out," Urban said. "Fence post hit the driver’s side of the windshield."
Petersen said: “I don't think any of us realized the miracle that just happened."
The only injury was a bruise on Melissa’s neck from the seat belt that saved her life. Buckling up, no doubt, spared them all.
“I'm like, we need to remember this as a positive thing: We all are in one piece," Miller said. "So, we took a selfie, which a lot of people didn't like."
Smith added: “If any of us had our seat belts off, we should have gone through the windows. We should have flown out of the car."
So far this year, The Utah Department of Transportation says six people have died from either not buckling up or not putting their seat belt on incorrectly. That's why UDOT is stressing the importance of their Zero Fatalities Campaign.
