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TAYLORSVILLE — Two friends who died in a wrong-way crash in central Utah this week were remembered Sunday in a vigil at Taylorsville City Park.
Family and friends joined together to honor Jacob Martin and Kaela Hernandez. The two were killed Wednesday when the car they were in was hit by a wrong-way driver on I-15 near Fillmore.
Julie Martin, Jacob's mother, spoke to the crowd about her son and how grateful she is for the outpouring of support her family has received.
"Everybody I hugged, I felt a piece of Jacob," she said. "He lives through us all, and we have to remember that."
She also spoke about her surviving son, Clint Martin, saying it was nothing short of a miracle that he survived. He was released from the ICU earlier in the day, she said.
On Wednesday, Clint, Jacob and Kaela were on their way to a work conference in Las Vegas when their Honda Civic was hit head-on by a Jeep Cherokee.
Jacob and Kaela, who was in the backseat, were ejected from the vehicle and were killed instantly. Hernandez had been sleeping and was not wearing a seat belt, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Mykel Martin, Clint and Jacob's brother, said Jacob and Kaela were the best of friends and were always together. "They're not divided even where they are right now," Mykel said.
The driver of the Jeep, 18-year-old Jessie Wilkerson, also died from her injuries. UHP investigators are working to determine if alcohol was involved in the crash.
Despite his family's loss, Mykel said they're thinking of Wilkerson's family too.
"It's a family that's suffering from the loss of a daughter, just as much as we're suffering from the loss of a brother and a son," he said. "We just want them to know that we're there for them."
He said Clint Martin feels the same way.
"His heart is so big, he was just concerned about everybody who was involved. He just wants everybody to know that there's no anger, there's no animosity towards Jessie's family. Right before we came down here he said, ‘Spread the love.'"
Contributing: Jordan Ormond
