MOHAVE COUNTY — The two Utah teenagers killed in a single-vehicle rollover on Interstate 15 in northern Arizona Saturday have been identified, and the passenger’s death came one week after the death of her mother.
The teenage driver, Carson Glen Koch, and his girlfriend, Brayden Eaton, both 17, were fatally injured in the crash that was reported on Interstate 15 northbound near mile marker 12, a few miles north of Littlefield, Arizona shortly after 2 p.m.
Read more: Rollover on I-15 near Littlefield kills 2 Utah teens
Carson Koch and Eaton were both juniors attending Hillcrest High School in Sandy, Utah, Carson Koch’s mother, Jody Koch told St. George News Monday.
She also said that Eaton’s mother died one week ago from liver failure, “and I don’t know what this is going to do to her (Eaton’s) grandmother or her little sister,” she said.
Eaton was returning with Carson Koch to Utah from Las Vegas after spending a family vacation in Southern California, and were traveling some distance behind his parents’ vehicle.
Eaton was the owner of the red passenger vehicle, but Koch was driving that particular leg of the trip.
The vehicle was listed as a small SUV in the original report, which was corrected Monday.
The Koch family had no idea that anything had happened until a Sandy Police officer, who responded to the family home to make the notification but found it unoccupied, asked a neighbor to have the parents call the Sandy Police Department.
Jody Koch received a call telling her police were trying to contact her, she said, and when she called was put in touch with the officer.
“The officer made sure I wasn’t driving and then told me that my son was involved in a fatal car accident – and that he was deceased,” Jody Koch said, adding that the officer also told her he never makes notifications of this nature over the phone, but under the circumstances they were left with little choice.
“We didn’t know what to do, we just pulled the car over right after the call,” Koch said.
To reduce the risk of adding further trauma to Carson Koch’s three brothers, who were traveling in the family vehicle, in addition to being told the teens’ remains were being transported to the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office, the parents decided to continue north to their home in Sandy.
Once home Jody Koch was able to contact Eaton’s grandmother, “who is still overwhelmed with first her daughter’s death, and now her granddaughter,” she said, adding that both Eaton and her sister had become part of their family over the past year or so, and became even more so with the illness and death of Eaton’s mother.
Jody Koch said that Eaton worked full-time at a local restaurant to help the family financially with her mother’s terminal illness, while maintaining good grades in school.
She went on to say that Carson Koch was an Eagle Scout at the age of 13, had an overall GPA of 3.9 in school, saved up “forever” for a Ford Mustang, his favorite car, and that he wanted to become a millionaire so that he could buy his parents a home on the beach, she said.
Jody Koch and her husband have made arrangements to have both teens’ remains transported back to Utah on Thursday, as the autopsies were completed by the medical examiner’s office Monday.
According to the report, Carson Koch died from blunt force injuries to his head, and the toxicology screens came back clear for both, Jody Koch said.
Responders at the scene Saturday said that Eaton was possibly ejected during the crash, but the findings were preliminary.
A dual funeral for the teens is tentatively scheduled for April 14, and both will be cremated separately but interred together. No further details are available.
“I just know that my son and her would want to be together,” Koch said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help with the expenses, as the Koch family is financing the funeral and associated costs for both children and “would appreciate any help you can give,” Koch said.
Ed. note: When making charitable contributions it is advisable to consult with professionals for tax advice and investment risks.
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2018 file photo for illustrative purposes only of Interstate 15 northbound near mile marker 12 in Mohave County, Ariz. April 7, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Arizona Department of Public Safety Mohave County Sheriff's Office respond to scene of fatal rollover on Interstate 15 near mile marker 12, Mohave County, Ariz. April 7, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Arizona Department of Public Safety Mohave County Sheriff's Office respond to scene of fatal rollover on Interstate 15 near mile marker 12, Mohave County, Ariz. April 7, 2018 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Brayden Eaton, 17, of Sandy, Utah, date and location not speicified | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News L to R: Brayden Eaton and Carson Koch, Sandy, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News Carson Koch becomes an Eagle Scout at the age of 13, Sandy, Utah, circa 2014 | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News Carson Koch, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News Brayden Eaton with her mother and sister. | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News L to R: Carson Koch and Brayden Eaton, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News Koch family photo with Carson Koch at the far left. Huntington Beach, California, April 2018 | Photo courtesy of Jody Koch, St. George News
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sad
So sad…
pure curiosity, does anyone know what kind of car that was?
This is really sad …..it doesn’t matter what kind of vehicle it is
it matters to me
I’m thinking and maybe that’s a good thing, idk. With social media and the internet at our finger tips we see alot of death and car wrecks that total vehicles. I’m thinking it’s because cars are made of alot of plastic. Back 45-50 years ago cars and trucks were made stronger, For instance, my mom’s 1970 Cougar was a beast and it’s been hit but not totaled. Do you think fatalities and car wrecks that total cars are because they aren’t made the way they use to be?
the biggest reason that i’m shopping for a new car is because the safety technology is amazing in newer vehicles. Your big ol’ heavy boat car like a 1960s buick or cougar or whatever may have not dented as easily in a fender bender, but they didn’t do well in crashes. Cars today are worlds ahead in crash technology than even cars from the 80s or 90s or early 2000s.
lol, i botched that last sentence but i’m not gonna rephrase it. its good enough 😉
Oh ok.
I drove like a maniac at times when I was 17, in a ford mustang and no seat belts. Sad to read about it and heart breaking for the families.