Fatal car accident in Sanpete County kills 3 teenagers

MOUNT PLEASANT — Three teenagers are dead after a fatal car accident just east of Mount Pleasant, officials report.

The accident occurred on Power Plant Road about 9:20 p.m. on Friday night, according Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Colton Freckleton.

A driver and three passengers were in a white sedan heading west when the accident occurred, according to Utah Highway Patrol. A 16-year-old girl was driving, with a young man as a passenger in the front and two young women who were passengers in the back. A flatbed truck with a 16-year-old driver and a 14-year-old passenger was traveling on the same road ahead of the sedan, Freckleton said.

Officials believe the truck was traveling at a low speed just over a hill. When the sedan came over the hill, it was "blinded" by the truck, Freckleton said, and rear-ended the vehicle. The sedan then caught fire.

The driver of the sedan was the only survivor in that vehicle; she was transported to the hospital with a head injury but has since been released. The 18-year-old man in the front passenger seat was identified as Ryan Lyman, from Ephraim. He and 16-year-old Julie Oldroyd, from Fountain Green, were both killed on impact in the accident, according to Utah Highway Patrol. The second passenger in the backseat, 16-year-old Kody Wheeler, died from her injuries in the hospital.

The two occupants of the flatbed truck were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and have since been released, Freckleton said.

The three occupants who died were not wearing seat belts and officials believe the two occupants in the truck were also not wearing seat belts, Freckleton confirmed.

It's unknown if speed or distracted driving were factors in the crash. Impairment by drugs or alcohol do not appear to be factors, Freckleton said.

Friends and family are mourning the loss of the teens.

"I still feel like it's not necessarily real. Kodi has been by my side my entire life and to have her not be my side, it feels like she's still just gone hanging out with her friends, like she's coming home," said Emily Wheeler, 15, who is Kody Wheeler's sister.

All three teenage girls involved in the accident were juniors at North Sanpete High School. Kody Wheeler and Oldroyd were best friends, according to family members.

"(Kody) could make anybody smile," Emily Wheeler said. "She could make anybody laugh and Julie was exactly the same, and that's what made them best friends."

Grief counselors are expected to be to be available to students on Monday, officials said.

The crash remains under investigation.

Contributing: Tania Dean and Ray Boone, KSL TV

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