Young mother describes pain of losing son hit by alleged DUI driver

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SALT LAKE CITY — Ashlee Loscher-Curtis has a rod in her femur and damage to one of her knees after being hit in a crosswalk with her 4-year-old son, Holden.

When the man accused of driving drunk hit them, she was thrown into the pavement and scraped up. Her son was killed on impact.

“A broken femur is a long recovery but definitely it will get easier day by day,” she said. “The physical pain will go away, but losing your own child is not something that will ever, ever go away.”

On Nov. 16 at 11 a.m., the two were in the crosswalk at 900 West and California Avenue. It was just supposed to be a quick little walk and Holden wanted to take his bike.

Carl “CJ” Wayne Johnson, 56, was on an outing of his own. He told police he had a couple of 12-ounce beers at work two hours earlier.

The man’s vehicle hit the mother and son as he was making a turn in his GMC truck. On Friday, he was charged in 3rd District Court with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, and DUI with serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony. Prosecutors, in charging documents, noted that Johnson has a history of impaired driving.

“I am not mad. I am hurt,” said Loscher-Curtis. “ I am definitely not mad. People make mistakes. Someone chose to get up in the morning, get drunk and get into his car.”

As she recovers from her physical injuries, the grieving mother is holding onto her memories of Holden as fiercely as she can. She said he was a happy child, smiling constantly and dazzling everyone around him with his dimples.

One of their favorite activities was to go on dates.

“He’d ask for my debit card so he could pay the waiter at the restaurant,” she said.

People would often ask her about the struggles of being a single parent, but she said it was joy being a mother to Holden.

“I’d tell them, ‘I got lucky. I got a really good kid.’”

She said people ask her how they can help her in this time of grief and she tells them to love and support her, but to also hug their children.

“You never know,” she said between tears. “Four years is such a short time.”

A GoFundMe account was set up to help cover the costs of Holden’s funeral. Another GoFundMe account was established to help his mother with medical expenses.

KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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Alex Cabrero

Alex Cabrero has been reporting for KSL since 2004. During his time in Salt Lake City, he has covered several high-profile Utah stories, including the Crandall Canyon mine collapse, the Trolley Square shootings, and the Susan Powell missing person case. He has also covered national and international stories for KSL with Utah connections, such as Hurricane Katrina from the Gulf Coast, the devastating California wildfires, and the earthquake disasters in both Haiti and Nepal. Alex has covered seven Olympics for KSL; 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2014 Sochi, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2018 PyeongChang, 2020 Tokyo, and 2022 Beijing. Alex is a 12-time Emmy Award winner, including a National Emmy for his reporting during a standoff in Tennessee. He also won an Emmy in 2016 for the best local TV news reporter in the Rocky Mountain Region. In all, Alex has won more than 50 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Utah Broadcasters Association. Before coming to Utah, Alex covered the September 11th terrorist attacks, training for the first wave of soldiers from the 101st Airborne who would be sent to Afghanistan, and Country Music star Johnny Cash’s funeral. Prior to KSL, Alex reported for WTVF in Nashville, TN; WRCB in Chattanooga, TN; KPVI in Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho; News 55 in Twin Falls, Idaho; and Cable 6 TV in Middletown, New York. Alex is from Rock Hill, New York. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Communications from Orange County (NY) Community College and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Production from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Alex is an Eagle Scout, played college baseball, and was a volunteer firefighter/rescue SCUBA diver for the Rock Hill Fire Department He enjoys visiting National and State Parks, exploring the remote areas of Utah, and playing baseball for the Utah Rockies in the Utah Mens Adult Baseball League.