Family mourns father killed in ATV accident, leaving three daughters without parents
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Garna Mejia, KSL
SPRINGVILLE, Utah (KSL) — A Utah family is grieving the loss of a father, brother and new grandfather after a fatal ATV accident in Hobble Creek Canyon.
Hans Anderson, 45, died Oct. 31 in a rollover accident involving a side-by-side in the Strawberry Ridge area above Hobble Creek Canyon. According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, the crash was reported shortly before 9 p.m. Anderson died from injuries sustained in the accident.
Anderson’s girlfriend, who was riding with him, was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital, but her injuries were not considered life-threatening.
For Anderson’s sister, Janae Watson, the loss remains difficult to comprehend.
“It was the saddest day of my life,” Watson said. “I had never felt that sad before.”
As she and her husband, Clint, prepare for Anderson’s funeral, they chose photographs that reflect the two things that defined Hans’ life: the outdoors and his family.
“From August to December he was in the mountains … An avid outdoorsman, this was his world,” Watson said. ” Everybody needs a brother like Hans. I was that lucky. He was always a phone call away.”
The photos captured Anderson and his three daughters and, more recently, a grandchild.
“He became a grandpa this past year,” she said. “Which is the weirdest thing to hear my brother be called ‘grandpa,’ but it’s so endearing.”
The tragedy comes after another devastating loss for the family. Anderson’s daughters lost their mother eight years ago, leaving them now without either parent.
“They’re having a hard time,” Janae Watson said. “It’s tragic for any family to lose both parents, and I think that they are doing the best that they can.”
Watson said her focus now is helping her nieces navigate the difficult road ahead.
“All those things that dad would’ve done for them,” she said.
The circumstances of the accident have also been difficult for loved ones to accept. Watson said riding in a side-by-side was something Anderson had done countless times throughout his life.
“To hear that was kind of the part that was surprising,” she said. “You can’t believe that from someone who’s done that their entire life.”
Despite their grief, family members have found some comfort in knowing Anderson spent his final moments surrounded by the mountains he loved.
“I don’t think he would’ve wanted to have gone anywhere else,” Watson said. “He died doing what he loved.”
“That’s the heartbreaking part, but also the part that’s kind of beautiful,” Watson continued. “It was quiet, and the creek was running, and the leaves were falling and it’s what he would’ve wanted.”
Watson’s family established a *GoFundMe to help support Anderson’s daughters, the youngest of whom is 14 years old.