College student recovering after 3rd stop light accident in 3 years

College student recovering after 3rd stop light accident in 3 years


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MAGNA — A Utah college student is struggling to recover after being hit by someone her mother claims is a suspected drunk driver. She has medical bills and a totaled car not covered by insurance.

But what makes 21-year-old Ashley Engilman's story remarkable is that this is the third time she's been hit while waiting at a stop light.

The first accident Ashley was involved in happened in December 2009 at a Tooele intersection. A driver apparently didn't see the car she and her mother, Nancy Engilman, were in and slammed into it from behind.

"We're not exactly sure how hard he hit us, how fast (he was going), but he knocked my mom's Cadillac all the way past the center of the intersection," Ashley said.

She and her mother were taken to the hospital to be treated for whiplash and back injuries. The Cadillac was totaled.

Ashley's second accident happened a year ago, when she was waiting at a traffic signal near East High School in Salt Lake City.

"The girl behind me was texting, and she didn't see that stop light had turned red," Ashley said.

The subsequent collision pushed Ashley's car into another vehicle in front of her. Her injuries were minor, but the car was totaled.

The insurance company didn't offer much for the car, so Ashley and her mother decided to get it fixed as best they could.

Thinking her daughter couldn't possibly be hit a third time, Nancy Engilman decided to drop her collision insurance to save money.

But on April 14, as Ashley was waiting for the signal to change at the intersection of 6400 West and 3500 South in West Valley, a minivan headed in the opposite direction ran the red light and was T-boned by another car. The impact of the collision sent the minivan careening into Ashley's car.

"To have two vehicles crash in front of you, and then to have them hit you — (I'm) just hearing the noise and seeing it over and over again every time I'm in the car," Ashley said.

Once again, Ashley's car was totaled. And the driver of the minivan was uninsured.

Now, on top of those expenses, there are mounting medical bills. Ashley has injuries to her knees, back, face, collarbone and arm.

Her attorney, Craig Swapp, said Ashley did do one thing right: she had uninsured motorist coverage.

"We see it pretty routinely, where one side or the other doesn't have insurance," he said.

In fact, Swapp said statistics show about one-third of drivers have no insurance, and that leaves anyone else on the road unprotected. He recommends limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for liability, uninsured and under-insured motorist coverage.

Still, no amount of insurance can protect Ashley from the fear of getting hit again.

"She's like, ‘I don't know if I can do this again. I don't know if I can drive a car again,'" Nancy Engilman said.

Ashley is now going through physical therapy. She expects to heal within three to six months.

Anyone wishing to help Ashley Engilman can contact her mother, Nancy, at nancywest20@gmail.com.*


*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.

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