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FARMINGTON -- A community is grieving the loss of a 15-year-old boy, who was killed in a rollover crash involving several other teens Saturday night.
Gabe Hanson was killed around 7 p.m. when he was ejected from the Ford Explorer he was riding in with six other teens. The group was traveling on an unpaved road in Centerville.
This kind of thing shouldn't happen to a family like that or him. He's such a great kid,
–Braedon Boyd
The teenagers were all friends, living in the same neighborhood in Farmington. Braedon Boyd, 18, lives near Hanson.
"This kind of thing shouldn't happen to a family like that or him," Boyd said. "He's such a great kid,"
In the tight-knit community, word spread quickly about the crash and Hanson's death. Boyd said as soon as he heard the news, people were already gathering in their West Farmington neighborhood. Sunday, they were still reeling.
"You can just feel the sadness in the air, just through the entire neighborhood," Boyd said.
He was informed of what had happened by his brother and said he had a hard time understanding.
The four kids that were wearing a seatbelt are going to walk away from this accident with minor injuries. The three that didn't, one of them lost his life and two of them have some pretty severe injuries.
–Von Steenblik
"I couldn't really fathom what he meant, like, Gabe couldn't be gone," Boyd said.
On Sunday afternoon, Boyd spent a quiet moment on the stretch of Lower Pipeline Road, where Hanson died.
"He was a great kid," Boyd said. "He made everybody laugh. He was so full of energy."
Police say most of the teenagers attended Viewmont High School in Bountiful.
The teens had gone to a church youth conference together and were on their way to a swimming party. For reasons still unknown, the group was headed south on the road, which was not the direction of the party.
It is believed the driver of the SUV, a 17-year-old girl, was going 60 to 70 miles per hour when she lost control of the vehicle.
Related:
1 dead, 2 in extremely critical condition in Centerville rollover
A 15-year-old Farmington boy is dead and two other teens are in critical condition after an SUV carrying seven teenagers rolled at least twice on a rough dirt road."It starts out as a smooth road and progressively much bumpier," said Centerville Police Sgt. Von Steenblik. "That (speed is) dangerous, in that SUV, it's a narrow wheelbase."
Police say an off-duty SLC Police Officer, who lives in Farmington, was the first to respond to the scene. He has two kids who were riding in the SUV and they called him first. The officer then called dispatch on his way to the crash site.
The driver and three others, who were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, sustained only minor injuries. Hanson and a 17-year old boy were both sitting in the cargo seat when the vehicle began to roll and were ejected.
The 17-year old boy — who is from Montana and is staying with family in Farmington — was flown to the hospital in critical condition, but police say he's expected to recover.
A 15-year old girl riding in the backseat was also flown to the hospital and, as of Sunday, was in stable condition.
Police said this accident demonstrated the importance of seatbelts.
"The four kids that were wearing a seatbelt are going to walk away from this accident with minor injuries," Steenblik said. "The three that didn't, one of them lost his life and two of them have some pretty severe injuries."
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Written by Sandra Yi and Emiley Morgan.
