SALT LAKE CITY — A family is grieving after their sister was hit and killed while fixing a flat tire on Thursday.
The Utah Highway Patrol said 42-year-old Tiffany Smith was heading east near Bangerter Highway when she stopped on the left side of State Route 201, partially blocking traffic in the left lane. As she was out of the car, another vehicle struck her.
"As soon as I found out what had happened, I hugged my kids so tight," said her sister, Lacy Arnold.
Smith grew up in a family with three sisters in Bluffdale.
"We had a lot of good times," said her oldest sister, Katie Steckler.
"Our family was really focused on family," said Emily Green, her other sister.
The sisters said Smith was a two-time breast cancer survivor who was "just starting to get her life back again."
"I think my favorite thing is that she had the most contagious laugh," said Arnold. "Literally, you could hear it from across the yard."
The three women said Smith was a movie-lover, a mama's girl, and a selfless and intentional gift-giver.
"She always looked for ways to help," said Steckler. "I love that about her. That's what she was doing up until the day that she passed."
"She beat cancer twice and she was finally to a point within the last year or so where she was finally coming back and making it almost like pre-cancer again," said Arnold.
Smith's death comes a month-and-a-half after a man also died while changing a tire in American Fork.
"Be safe. Please take care of yourself and stay in the car if you absolutely have to and pull over and contact someone that can come and help you," said Green.
The sisters have peace knowing she's reunited with their mother and that her legacy will remain alive through the stories they pass down.
"Whatever it might be, she will always be remembered," said Green.
The family created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs. To donate, click here.
