Practice News Story 11: Accident

USU Field Trip Tragedy
10:20 p.m. MT April 19, 2007

LOGAN, UTAH, April 19 – This morning ten Utah State University (USU) students and one instructor were in a van accident. The group was headed out to Greenline Implements for a school approved field trip. In a following car was Manager Kyle Holden. He was following them out to Greenline when the driver’s rear-side tire blew out on Interstate-84.

The blowout resulted in all passengers and driver to be thrown from the van. Kyle explains as he was passing the van at about 80 mph, on a downhill slop, he saw from his rear view window the van veered off the road and roll. Kyle said he saw bodies fly from the van as it rolled.

Lt. Col. Ed Michaud and Officer Jason Jensen were the first to show up on the scene. He reported seven were dead on the scene and four in critical condition. Lt. Col. Michaud said, “The van had to have been traveling 95 mph.” He continued with, “This is the worst I’ve seen in my career.”

The names of those who died at the scene of the accident were Instructor Evan Parker, Steven Bair, Curt Madsen, Ryan McEntire, Bradley Wilcox, Justin Gunnel, and Dusty Fuhriman. Robert Peterson and Jared Nelson were air lifted to McKay Dee Hospital and Ogden Regional in Ogden. The other two Justin Higgins and Jonathan Jorgensen were sent to Brigham City.

In respect of the students and the instructor Noel Cockett, Provost, Dean of Agriculture, said, “This was the best group of students in the department.” All the students came from good family backgrounds, good academic standing, and some were married. As many will be in mourning for those lost, President Stan L. Albrecht of Utah State University had this to say, “We’re equipped and we will work through this.”