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WEST JORDAN — Jonathan Bowers loved sports. And on May 21, he had tickets to see the Salt Lake Bees play.
But rather than catch a baseball game that night, Bowers chose instead to call his mother, Judi Bowers, and go to dinner with her and catch up.
The next morning on his way to work, Jonathan Bowers was critically injured by an alleged drunken driver in a hit-and-run accident.
He was an extremely good person, extremely good. He was always willing to do something for everybody else.
–Judi Bowers, mother
#judi_quote
On Monday, a week after the accident, the EMT who spent much of his life both at work and on his own free time helping and giving service to others, died as a result of his injuries.
"He was an extremely good person, extremely good. He was always willing to do something for everybody else. He was willing to go way out of his way to do things for everyone. He was an extremely good son," his mother said. "Many people have told us they never heard him say a bad word about anybody."
About 6 a.m. on May 22 in the intersection of 6200 South and 4015 West, a car traveling at a high rate of speed smashed into Jonathan Bowers' vehicle, pushing it into two other cars. Bowers' parents said they weren't sure if their son was hit from behind or T-boned. But they knew his injuries were severe.
"They had to remove part of his skull as a last ditch effort to save his life," said John Bowers, his father. "His brain had swollen so much."
"They didn't give us much hope from the very beginning because of the catastrophic brain injury," Judi Bowers said.
Gabriel Perez-Gutierrez, 26, ran from the accident scene, but was later found hiding in a window well and arrested. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of DUI and hit-and-run.
Monday, members of Jonathan Bowers' LDS ward decorated his yard with a dozen American flags. The flags remained standing in the yard on Tuesday.
"He would have loved it," Judi Bowers said, noting that the Fourth of July was her son's favorite holiday.
Jonathan Bowers, 31, was born in Provo and moved with his family to Saskatchewan, Canada, when he was just 1 year old. His father, mother and twin sisters moved back to Utah about a decade ago.
Bowers had worked for Gold Cross Ambulance for about six years. He was going to school at the University of Utah (even though his family said he was a die-hard BYU sports fan) for his Emergency Medical Management degree and with the hopes of possibly working one day for FEMA, his parents said. He was expected to graduate in August and intern with a local fire department.
Helping others was something that seemed to come naturally to Bowers.
"He liked helping others, but he saw a lot of the underbelly of the community, and that did bother him. He was very tenderhearted. But he liked helping others, so this seemed to fit his character and his profile as a person," his father said.
One of the last chores Jonathan did for his father was helping remove a tree stump in the backyard. His family said Bowers never complained, was rarely in a bad mood and was overall easy going.
"He never looked for glory or praise," his mother said. "He was just a very good person who was always willing to help other people."
Judi Bowers recalled the time her son drove to Ft. Collins, Colo., to pick up his sister and their family, drove them down to Zion National Park for a family reunion and then drove them back to Colorado. She also recalled the time he had an extra ticket to a hockey game and took a man from his LDS ward who was confined to a wheelchair.
Jonathan would respond on calls like that and try and save the person. For him to be taken away from us, it's just been sad.
–Bret Housekeeper, co-worker
#housekeeper_quote
At Gold Cross Ambulance, employees wore black bands on their uniforms Tuesday.
"Lots of people knew him," said EMT intermediate Bret Housekeeper. "He was well liked throughout the entire company. He was just that type of guy. He would get along with everybody and anybody."
The EMTs who responded to the accident all knew Bowers as well as some of the doctors at the hospital. Bowers was in his EMT uniform when his vehicle was hit.
"It's just sad. It's sad for everyone. Jonathan is one of us. It's just tragic to be so innocently sitting and to be hit like that. Jonathan would respond on calls like that and try and save the person. For him to be taken away from us, it's just been sad," Housekeeper said.
Bowers' co-workers have started a fund to help his family pay medical bills. People can donate* to the Jonathan Bowers Medical Assistance Association at any Zions Bank.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office could consider more serious charges for Perez-Gutierrez when it reviews the case now that Bowers has died.
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Written by Pat Reavy with contributions from Sandra Yi.
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*ksl.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does ksl.com assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.