Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Craymon Garner attempted to save Aleki Langi after a car accident in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Langi, a missionary from Utah, was hit by a car and later died.
- The driver fled; Langi's family mourns his loss and celebrates his missionary spirit.
SALT LAKE CITY — Craymon Garner was sitting in his office in Charlotte, North Carolina, late Thursday afternoon, finishing up some work, when he heard the roar of a car and then a "loud bam."
Garner, who works at the nonprofit Quality Comprehensive Health Center, jumped up and ran outside. He found a chaotic scene with Aleki Langi underneath a tree.
Langi, 18, who was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the faith's North Carolina Charlotte Mission, had been hit by the vehicle.
"I've never seen something like this before," Garner told KSL-TV via Zoom call on Friday.
Garner said he immediately ran over and started "breaking the tree branches, trying to drag the tree off of him," before pulling Langi out.
"I just instantly went into doing CPR and compressions," Garner remembered. "I did them as long as I could."
Garner said the missionary revived briefly, but he ultimately died from his injuries. The NBC affiliate in Charlotte reported the driver ran away from the scene and was not immediately identified.
Langi is from Magna. He played football at West High School and Cyprus High School. He had been on a mission since March. He was in North Carolina awaiting a visa to continue his missionary service in Jamaica.
"Last night, all I could see was his face," Garner said. "Every time I closed my eyes, I just saw his face because he did look at me, and then he passed."
Garner said he's praying for Langi's family as they mourn an innocent life lost.
"You think about it, this was a young man out here doing God's work, called to serve God, and he was just out here being a vessel, trying to serve the Lord," Garner said. "He lost his life innocently … just doing what he was called to do."
The Langi family issued a statement to KSL-TV on Friday afternoon, saying the young missionary "loved his parents, siblings and family. He loved the Lord and was excited to serve a mission."
The family added that Langi "brought a togetherness to our family that was desperately needed. His presence and spirit will be greatly missed in our lives and home."
A second missionary was also hit during the incident, but the church said he had minor injuries and was released from the hospital. A third missionary was not hurt.
