SALT LAKE CITY — A Cache County family has every reason to urge Utah drivers to slow down on the roads heading into the busy holiday weekend.
Members of the Jackson family are thankful they're alive to share their story after being hit head-on by a driver last July. The driver was driver was trying to pass a semi truck and hit the Jackson's minivan.
"I remember the car coming, I remember hearing the tires squeal, I remember hearing my mom scream, I remember right before impact and that's when I blacked out," said Cameron Jackson at an event Thursday.
Everyone in the van suffered broken bones, including the family's twin boys, one of whom was in a coma for nine days. The family has spent the past year recovering, but they're still mentally impacted by the crash.
So far this year, 215 people have lost their lives on Utah roads. On the same date in 2019, that number was 148. The large increase in deaths is why the Jackson's are asking all drivers to be safe over the Labor Day Weekend.
"This is not an issue we can enforce our way out of," said Col. Michael Rapich of the Utah Highway Patrol. "This takes all of us to realize we have a responsibility in that one moment in that one decision."
UHP says it will will have increased patrols on roads throughout the weekend looking for speeders and drunk drivers. Troopers have already written more than 4,300 citations for extreme speeding in Utah this year.
