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PAYSON — A Payson community on Sunday grieved the death of 16-year-old Erica Montague, who was killed in a two-car crash Saturday night near 1500 West and Utah Avenue.
The driver of the car, a 16-year-old boy whose name was not released, remained hospitalized in critical condition Sunday, Payson police said.
Both teens are Salem Hills High School students. Montague played on the school's softball team.
Scott Haney, the Montague family's LDS bishop and a teacher at Salem Hills, said the softball team met together at the school Sunday.
"They're probably discussing what they want to be doing for her, too. It’s a neat thing. There’s about 100 cars there," said Bishop Haney, who taught Montague in his advanced conditioning class and also taught the injured teen driver.
Montague played second base and outfield, he said. She was slightly over 5 feet tall and had red hair. "That brings a lot of intensity, I guess."
Recently, she had asked a boy to the school MORP dance later this month. It was going to be her first date," Bishop Haney said.
Montague has a younger sister and she came from a close-knit family, he said.
"Erica, she just loves her family. That’s the greatest family. They have two daughters and they support each other," he said.
Recently, Montague had become president of the Laurel group in her LDS ward, a young women's organization for older teen girls. She celebrated her 16th birthday in April.
The Nebo School District plans to have additional counselors at the high school Monday to help teens cope with Montague's death and their concerns for the teen boy in critical condition.
"She touched a lot of people’s lives so it's good for kids to be able to talk it out a little bit," Bishop Haney said.
Payson Police Lt. Bill Wright said the teens were traveling east on Utah Avenue when their car was struck broadside by an oncoming car after their car slid across the road on a sharp turn, entering the westbound lane.
The oncoming car struck the passenger side of the vehicle. Montague died at the scene, Wright said. The teen driver was taken to Mountain View Hospital in Payson then flown by medical helicopter to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo.
The driver and passengers of the other vehicle were taken by ambulance to the Payson hospital for treatment of minor injuries, Wright said.
All parents of young drivers share the same sort of worries when their teenagers go out for the evening, Bishop Haney said. "You just never know. Things can happen in an instant."
The Montague family "has a great faith and testimony. They have to know they will see Erica again," he said.
"They've got to know we're here for them."
Contributing: Geoff Liesik
