SALT LAKE CITY — As millions prepare to travel through Utah for the holiday weekend, a Richmond mother is sharing her family's harrowing experience to encourage safe driving practices.
Seantae Jackson and her family survived a devastating head-on collision two summers ago that forever changed their lives.
"Ugh. The accident has impacted everything," Jackson said.
Jackson was traveling with her husband and twin sons from Utah to Wyoming for a family backpacking trip when disaster struck.
"Our family, my husband and I, and our oldest twins. We were headed to go backpacking on a fun family vacation. So we were headed from Utah to Wyoming," Jackson said.
The family was hit head-on by another vehicle at highway speed.
"So, they hit us head-on at freeway speed. We were all instantly knocked out," Jackson said.
Memorial Day weekend travel set to break records, AAA reports:
When Jackson regained consciousness, she was met with a terrifying scene.
"When I woke up it was a horrific scene. I looked over my shoulder and our son Owen was convulsing from head to toe; he had blood covering his face. His twin was in shock," Jackson said.
The crash resulted in significant life changes for the Jackson family.
"It has changed my occupation is. It has changed what my son can and can't do," Jackson said.
Though the family has recovered and is now healthy, Jackson believes drivers need to take more precautions on the road.
"We can make the statistics better by buckling up. By driving safe, by paying attention to other drivers and not getting angry," Jackson said.
Kacey Barnes, trauma program manager at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake, notes that summer typically brings an increase in trauma patients.
"Always refer to the summer as trauma season," Barnes said. "We've all heard of the '100 Deadliest Days,' and we just want people to prevent the injuries that they can prevent."
Barnes emphasizes the importance of proper safety measures before hitting the road.
"Especially hitting the roads, you need to make sure that your kids are buckled safely," Barnes said.
Jackson credits safety equipment with saving her family's lives during their crash.
"Yeah, we were all buckled up between our seatbelts and our airbags; they helped more than I could ever explain," Jackson said.
Utah Highway Patrol is encouraging drivers to practice empathy on the roads as they expect millions to travel through the state during the holiday weekend.
Jackson hopes her story will inspire others to prioritize safety.
"They can do the things," she implored. "You can do the things that keep yourself safe for the ones that you love."
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
