Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
IDAHO FALLS — What was supposed to be a fun trip in Arizona turned devastating after an Idaho Falls husband and wife were involved in a fatal crash.
Trena Reinhart, 48, died in an ATV accident on New Year's Eve, while her husband, Laurence "Jason" Reinhart, 49, was taken by air ambulance to a hospital with serious injuries.
"They had taken several days to go down to have a couple's vacation and just go on their UTV throughout the Mohave area and the Grand Canyon," said Kris Jaques, Trena's older sister, told EastIdahoNews.com. "They got there on the 27th or the 28th of December and had been out touring and doing different activities."
Remembering Trena
Trena and Jaques have worked together for the past 17 years at Camp Hippo Pediatric Therapy in Blackfoot, Idaho.
Trena was an occupational therapist. Jaques described her sister as giving and dedicated to her work with children.
"I think she spent more of her money giving back to them than she ever made as a therapist sometimes," Jaques said. "Always trying to go that extra mile to help the families."
She liked being around Trena. They traveled and did a lot together, so working at the same place was a little extra extension of that.
"It was nice because it gave us more time together, too," Jaques added.
She said that Jason and Trena have three sons and some grandchildren. They are an avid outdoors family and enjoy hunting, fishing, motorcycles, and doing activities on side-by-sides.
The crash
Jaques said hearing the news of what happened to her sister was hard because family members didn't get the notification from the police like they would have expected.
"Their kids (Jason and Trena's) called me and had asked me if I had heard from them. We hadn't heard anything. At that point, we made the decision that they were going to call and report them missing because that's just not like them," Jaques said. "They always stay in touch with their kids."
Police were contacted in Arizona to report the couple missing. Family waited to hear back.
"I found on the internet an article about the accident and just with the pictures and the description they gave, I made an assumption. I called the sheriff's office and they told me I had to wait for the detective to get back to me," Jaques said. "I saw where they had life-flighted Jason to, and I called that hospital and confirmed that he had been admitted there. That is how the family found out which was unfortunate."
The news didn't seem real for a while.
The crash happened on Dec. 31 after 3:30 p.m. on Arizona Highway 68 near Landon Drive in Bullhead City. This occurred in Mohave County, Arizona, which is approximately 97 miles away from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Emergency crews responded to a report of an SUV versus ATV accident with "serious injuries," according to a news release from the Bullhead City Police Department.
A 2004 red Ford Explorer was reportedly traveling westbound on Highway 68 when it collided with a Can-Am off-road vehicle that was attempting to cross the highway, police said.
Trena was the passenger in the ATV and died from her injuries on the scene. Jason was the ATV driver. He was flown by air ambulance to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.
The driver of the Ford Explorer, a 76-year-old man, was transported to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center by Bullhead City Fire paramedics with non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.
Supporting Jason
Jaques said Jason is now back home in Idaho Falls where he is undergoing rehab and trying to recover. She said he doesn't remember the crash but has pictures of the days leading up to it.
"He's pretty banged up and not moving real fast, but he's definitely stable," she said.
He has a concrete business, but Jaques isn't sure if he will be able to return due to the physical nature of the job. She has helped create a GoFundMe* to support Jason during this time.
There is a goal to raise $30,000. As of Friday morning, over $1,670 has been donated. She hopes Jason can get enough support to help offset anything insurance doesn't cover on medical bills.
"I think Trena and Jason gave a lot back to the community. They just always go above and beyond, and I think what people probably don't realize with being self-employed is that there's no income right now," Jaques said.
She's grateful for the support and knows it will take time for Jason and his family to figure out their new normal.
*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.
