Student's critical injuries have family urging use of seat belts


4 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

OGDEN — A Utah family is praying for the survival of a college student critically injured in a car crash Friday night when he was thrown from the vehicle.

Miguel Banuelos was ridesharing with four other students from BYU-Idaho when a rear tire on their SUV blew out near Tremonton. The driver lost control, and the vehicle rolled several times down an embankment.

Neither Banuelos nor the female student who was also thrown out of the SUV was wearing a seat belt.

"He flew out of the vehicle and went like 90 feet," said Josh Neilson, Banuelos' uncle.

Banuelos suffered a brain injury, a broken pelvis, broken ribs and broken vertebra. He was still in a coma Monday night at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden.

The other student who wasn't buckled in also remained hospitalized with critical injuries Monday. The three students who wore seat belts had already been released from the hospital.

Banuelos had just started at BYU-Idaho in Rexburg this semester, his uncle said. A native of Mexico, he was headed to a family baptism in Utah County where he had attended high school.

"A lot of them still keep in touch," Nielson said. "Obviously, they are really concerned for him."

Even though wearing a seat belt was not a priority while Banuelos was growing up in Mexico, Nielson said it became a priority for his nephew here.

"When we heard that he was ejected from the vehicle, it was quite a surprise because it was uncommon for him to (not wear a seat belt)," Nielson said.

"He always let us know when we weren't wearing our seat belt; I know that my kids wear their seat belts because he would always make that comment to our oldest when he was living with us," he said.

Still, Nielson suspects in the excitement of the trip, and a switch of seats before the crash, Banuelos neglected to buckle up — and it cost him dearly.

"It's life-altering," Nielson said. "We hope he will pull through 100 percent, but the expectation is there will be some difference there."

That's why the family urges everyone to buckle up the moment you get in the car.

Meanwhile, the students' classmates are rallying to support their friends with a YouCaring.com fundraiser.*


*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does KSL.com assure that the monies deposited will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit or donation you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

Photos

Related links

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Jed Boal

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast