SANPETE COUNTY, Utah — Jamie Merrill and Jurni Olson received the phone no one wants or ever expects.
"It honestly felt like the world had stopped for a minute," Olson recalled. explaining she and Caitlin were best friend. Olson remembers in that moment just wanting to call Caitlin.
It was a call sharing that Caitlin Edmunds and her boyfriend, Braden Christiansen, had died in a car crash. The couple was described as soulmates, with Merrill saying the two were getting their lives together and being the best parents to their son as Edmunds was taking courses at Snow College.
"Braden was goofy as could be and was always trying his best to make everyone around him life," Olson shared. "If you had the privilege to know Caitlin, you were really blessed. She was a gem that was going to do so much good and change the lives of so many people.
The Utah Highway Patrol says the couple stopped to turn left into their driveway in Sanpete County on July 15 when a truck struck them from behind. They were pushed into oncoming traffic and hit by another vehicle. Three others besides Edmunds and Christiansen were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Distracted driving is being investigated by UHP as a factor in the incident.
"Four families lives have changed forever and that's something that can never be taken back," Merrill said.
Following the crash, Caitlin and Braden's three-year-old son now lives without his parents.
"He doesn't understand why they're not coming home," Olson said. "I'm just thankful his parents were who they were and he had them for the time that he had them."
Already this summer, there have been 49 deadly crashes causing 54 deaths according to the Utah Department of Public Safety. Caitlin and Braden were two of 12 people killed on Utah roads last week alone.
"You get caught up in the numbers but these are families, these are individuals that you think about the loss and what it means to their community, what it means to their family, and the long lasting grief that people have to deal with and it's all preventable," said Utah Department of Transportation spokesperson John Gleason.
Officials urge everyone to buckle up, drive alert, and put away distractions because the life you save could be yours or someone else's.
"Wherever you're going, whatever you're doing, nothing is more important than getting their safely, getting your family there safely, and being the best driver, you can to everyone else out there on the road," Gleason said.
For those who loved Caitlin and Braden, they're going to honor their memory by taking care of their son and accomplishing all the things the couple wanted to do but didn't get the time to.
"It takes 10 seconds for you to make a mistake you can never take back," Merrill said. "So please pay attention to what's in front of you."
A GoFundMe has been started in memory of Caitlin and Braden and you can contribute by clicking the link here.
