BOUNTIFUL, Utah — A truly heartbreaking car accident in Bountiful late Friday night left an 18-year-old dead and another man facing a long recovery.
“When something like this happens, it kind of throws everybody into a bit of a tailspin,” said Dean Livingston.
Dean's son Daniel was hit by an oncoming car driving over 90 miles per hour Friday night without its headlights on
“Completely totaled his car, completely destroyed it. He had to be extricated out of the vehicle,” Dean explained. “He has to undergo some surgery on his legs and a collarbone to put things back together. He’s probably going to have some extensive rehab to go through.”
Despite the long road to recovery, he said he is so grateful Daniel is alive after the crash. The other driver, an 18-year-old man whose name has not yet been released, died from his injuries.
“It makes me feel just horrible for the young man that lost his life in this terrible crash," Dean said. "My heart goes out to that family. I can’t even imagine going through something like that.”
This crash happened near the intersection of 500 South and 500 west in Bountiful. Misty Hammond said she heard what happened.
“We were at McDonald’s and we heard the really loud crash, and then multiple little booms," she said. "Then we went to get out of the car and all of the police from every direction was just swarming, and we couldn’t get over there if you tried."
Crashes are on the rise across the country, with the highest numbers in decades, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Dean said it was one thing his son did that probably saved his life.
“If he did not have his seatbelt on, we would be planning a funeral now, I have no doubts,” he said.
Dean said rushing to the hospital felt like a drive that never ended.
“When I was able to see him and see that he was really OK, going to be OK, even with long rehab, it kind of makes you feel a little bit better, and you know you can deal with some things after that,” he added.
He said these incidents really showed him what matters in life, and he's grateful for the love and support the community has shown during his time.
“People that we don’t even know, that we’ve never even met, that are giving well wishes and prayers and offering to do kind things and just legitimately concerned for our family that they’ve never even met," Dean said. "The great public servants that we have, law enforcement that was right on scene, EMS that showed up.”
A Gofundme has been set up to help the family pay for medical costs.
