ST. GEORGE — A Snow Canyon High School student who was in critical condition following a crash on Interstate 15 in Murray on Dec. 18 died on Friday. The crash took place while the teen was in the area visiting with extended family members for the holidays.
Update Jan. 1, 12:08 p.m. to include information regarding the teen involved in the three-vehicle crash reported two weeks ago.
Hunter Lewis, 15, who has remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City following the crash reported on northbound I-15 near 5500 South in Murray on Dec. 18, has succumbed to his injuries.
The teen’s father, St. George Police Officer Phil Lewis, told St. George News “Hunter passed away peacefully” on Friday.
The teen was traveling in a Mazda with his two older brothers and was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle as the trio headed north on I-15 just before suffering “life threatening injuries” in the collision, according to a statement released by the Utah Highway Patrol shortly after the incident.
The father of all three occupants, Phil Lewis, told St. George News in an earlier interview that his two older sons made it out of the crash with minor injuries, primarily soreness he said. It was his youngest son who suffered critical injuries and remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
Lewis said the situation was grave and that the news of his son’s condition was also devastating to the boy’s mother, a hairdresser in St. George, as well as for his stepmother, an emergency dispatcher with the St. George Communications Center.
“It’s the worst thing a parent can imagine,” he added.
According to preliminary findings released by UHP, at the time of the crash, traffic began to slow on northbound I-15 near Exit 5500 South, including a Honda passenger car, the lead car, followed by a Mazda 3, the vehicle the three Lewis boys were traveling in, and a Mazda CX-5 traveling directly behind.
As the Honda and the Mazda 3 slowed to nearly a stop, the CX-5 struck the back of the Mazda 3, which spun the car around until it struck the rear of the Honda.
Neither driver in the other two cars reported any injuries, UHP says.
Phil Lewis was still at the hospital in Salt Lake City during his initial interview last week, saying he would remain there until “my son comes home.”
A Venmo account has also been set up to help the family with medical costs and related expenses, which can be found by searching @hunterlewisrecovery on Venmo.
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