Community rallies around family of former firefighter who died in crash

Community rallies around family of former firefighter who died in crash

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PLAIN CITY — Austin Taylor had a saying that other cadets of the Weber State Law Enforcement Academy adored enough to stencil inside the academy’s classroom: “Want it. Earn it. Live it.”

Taylor, 28, wanted to serve the public, the academy’s director Jack Rickards recalls. He even made a daily 140-mile round trip back and forth from his home in northern Cache County to Ogden to become a police officer.

“He was very dedicated that way,” Rickards said.

Taylor’s goal, however, was tragically cut short on Feb. 23. Taylor, of Clarkson, died after losing control of the car he was driving on I-15 and collided with a semitruck twice. His car ended up underneath it near Willard.

Now months later, friends of a man who served as a firefighter, EMT and was training to become a police officer are putting together a benefit concert and auction to help the family he left behind.

Taylor was the father of two daughters when he died. His wife, Marissa, since gave birth to a third daughter named after Austin, according to Ashlee Tucker, a family friend and co-organizer of an event planned Monday night for the Taylor family.

Tucker said Marissa Taylor was in the process of purchasing a home and going back to work to support the family.

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A benefit concert and auction for the family will be held at Fremont High School Monday night, featuring Hooper-based country musician Brenn Hill. All proceeds of the event will be given to the Taylor family, Tucker said. Hill was Taylor's favorite musician.

“We didn’t even have a goal. We just said whatever we can raise is great,” Tucker said.

The event is the second major public event put together to help Taylor’s family. Four local Chili’s locations donated 15 percent of its sales on March 21 to the family. A GoFundMe page set up raised more than $20,000 in four months.

In addition to being a firefighter and EMT, Taylor was a hospital trauma tech and a student at Weber State’s Law Enforcement Academy at the time of his death.

“He was extraordinary … he had tons and tons of community service,” Tucker said. “That was all he was about.”

Rickards said Taylor enrolled in the academy in January and was in the first part of certification when he died. He remembers interviewing with Taylor prior to his enrollment in the class, noting that he was "very enthusiastic."

“He was extremely excited and really looking forward to joining the academy. I think it was going to be a huge step in life,” Rickards said.

Though he didn’t know Taylor very well, he knew his leadership skills were revered by his classmates, who had voted him class president. When Rickards asked cadets to do a service project, Taylor suggested an idea of taking the class to Box Elder and Cache counties to help fill sandbags as that area dealt with flooding throughout the winter.

“That kind of shows you the type of person he was — that he was interested in serving his community and helping out,” Rickards said. “I thought that was admirable of him.”

After Taylor’s death, Rickards reached out to Utah’s Peace Officer Standards and Training to ask if the board could honor Taylor his Special Function Officer certification posthumously. The board granted the request and Taylor was honored during the academy's graduation earlier this month.

Rickards said it was a special moment for the family to see Taylor get the award. In his mind, Taylor would have graduated with the rest of his classmates that day.

The benefit auction, Tucker hopes, will help give back to a man who dedicated his life to service.

A silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. Monday and the concert begins at 7 p.m. The suggested donation at the door is $20 per person (children 5 or under are free) or $50 per family.

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