WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — Utah State Parks police are now investigating a crash that killed one 19-year-old Utah Tech student and caused two others to be airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.
Officials said the crash happened around 10 p.m. Wednesday, just outside of Snow Canyon State Park. The three victims were traveling in a Volkswagen Jetta on Snow Canyon Drive at a speed of 70-100 mph when they crashed.
The car traveled 300 feet into lava rock and ended up at the Lava Flow trailhead parking lot. Police said all three people were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
One 19-year-old male, a Utah Tech University student identified as Sawyer Sherk, died at the scene, while two 18-year-old females were also found and taken via life flight in critical condition. It is not known if the females are also Utah Tech students.
Sherk was a freshman at the school, having just started classes a few weeks ago. The three-sport star at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nev., Sherk had already made a strong impression among his class.
"He was very dynamic, that he made friends easily, that he was always involved in the classes," said Utah Tech dean of students Ali Threet. "And so there's been multiple classes with professors that have actually told me that. They talked about his dynamic personality.
"He was well-liked."
Upon hearing the accident, school administrators worked to immediately help the families of those involved and the students on campus affected by the incident.
Those protocols include grief counseling that is available for free to all students at the campus wellness center.
"During situations like this, we actually don't wait for the students to come to us," said Threet." We try to offer that grief counseling in a variety of locations."
A crash reconstruction team was at the scene of the crash working to find out more information on the crash.
