FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A big holiday gathering for a Utah family turns tragic after a suspected drunk driver hits two sisters in Arizona.
Sabrina Wilhite, 24, and Jessica Wilhite, 22, were traveling from Phoenix to Utah when, according to investigators, a pickup truck crossed the center lane and hit the sisters on a rural road just outside of Flagstaff, Arizona, on Friday just before 8 p.m.
Both were taken from the scene in critical condition and are in the ICU.
“It’s a tender time for our family,” said Brent Wilhite, the sisters’ father, who spoke to KSL-TV from the hospital in Flagstaff.
Wilhite said his daughters Sabrina and Jessica have been best friends over the years. The two graduated from UVU in May and moved to Phoenix for their career.
“We’re feeling the pain, and it’s sometimes day by day, and sometimes it’s minute by minute where we think everything is going to be OK, and then we go to a really dark place and think about the tragedies and the long road (to recovery) these girls have the head of them,” he said.
The two were coming to Utah to spend time with their family and with their brother, who is leaving for Honolulu, Hawaii, on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Tuesday.
“We were all geared up for an amazing, amazing week of family time. We have a son who is leaving on his mission (Tuesday), and big family activities for Thanksgiving, and then another family vacation the days after Thanksgiving for that weekend,” Brent Wilhite said. “All of that has just been shattered because of the careless senselessness of a drunk driver.”
Ironically, Brent Wilhite has been heavily involved in Utah’s Zero Fatalities campaign for two decades. Now, he’s suddenly thrust right into the middle of it.
“My personal life and my professional life are colliding,” Wilhite said. “So, I know all the messages, all the important aspects about teaching people to drive safely behind the wheel, but now it’s just hitting hard, really hard at home.”
His message this holiday season – don’t even think about drinking and driving.
“What really gets me is that I try to teach people not to do this, but our family has been blown apart and affected by this, and I think impaired driving is just such an irresponsible, senseless act. It’s selfish, and it can shatter lives, and it can happen to anybody. It happened to my family, and we’ve been promoting this for 20 years,” he said.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety told KSL-TV that the driver who hit the sisters survived the crash, and the case has now turned into a criminal investigation because of alleged drinking and driving.
If you wish to help the family with medical expenses, a GoFundMe* has been set up.
*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 advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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