Utah football player and 2 others killed, 2 more hospitalized in car crash


10 photos
Save Story

Show 4 more videos

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Tragedy has struck the University of Utah football team.

New Mexico State Police responded to a single vehicle rollover on US 550 near milepost 83 late Monday evening.

Police found two passengers dead on the scene, both of whom were ejected from the Toyota SUV as it rolled numerous times. A third passenger died moments later.

University of Utah freshman Gaius Vaenuku was one of the three confirmed deaths in the accident. His cousin, Polo Manukainiu, a redshirt defensive lineman for Texas A&M, was also killed in the crash, along with 13-year-old cousin Lolo Uhatafe.

Another incoming Utah freshman and driver of the car, offensive tackle Salesi Uhatafe, survived, as did his father, Salesi, Sr.

"Everyone who knew Gaius is heartbroken today," said Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham. "He was the kind of young man who lit up a room and his future in football and life had no boundaries. Words cannot express our devastation over the loss of Gaius. This is a sad day not only for University of Utah football, but for everyone whose lives Gaius crossed or would have crossed but for this tragedy. Our hearts go out to Gaius' and Salesi's families, and to the Texas A&M coaches and players. We are praying for the speedy recovery of Salesi and his father."

Gaius Vaenuku - Courtesy: 247sports.com
Gaius Vaenuku - Courtesy: 247sports.com

A tweet sent out from Polo Manukainiu (@ManukainiuPolo) late Monday night said, "22 hour drive back to Texas on no sleep. Oh my."

New Mexico State Police Sgt. Emmanuel Gutierrez said that the cause of the rollover was most likely due to "driver inattention or fatigue".

Police say that Uhatafe over-corrected to the right, causing vehicle to lose control and roll. Uhatafe was the only one wearing a seat-belt.

The players were heading back to Texas to spend one last weekend with family before fall camp was set to begin.

Vaenuku, Manukainiu and Uhatafe were all teammates at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas.

The school set up a section on its site for people to share memories of the former players.

Vaenuku's uncle Fotu Katoa said he was "a man among boys," and that "he was a true, four-star athlete type."

Though Utah and Brigham Young University were among his final college choices, major programs across the country had taken notice of his raw ability. Two schools even ended up competing for him on the field last fall, his Katoa said.

"Notre Dame gave him a verbal offer on the field while he was there at Oklahoma," he said.

Katoa said Vaenuku had a future, on and off the field. As an Eagle Scout, environment and religion were important to him. He had planned to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after his freshman year.

Vaenuku, who asked to be referred to by his middle name Keio as a Ute, was the 2012 District 6-5A Defensive Player of the Year in Texas as a senior. He was also named first-team all-district and to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Super Team first-team defense. He had 72 tackles, seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss as a senior while helping Trinity High to the area championship. The son of Sam and Sela Vaenuku also leaves behind four siblings.

Contributing: Andrew Adams

Photo credit: KRQE (Albuquerque)

Photos

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

SportsUtah
Robert Jackson

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast