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Nineteen-year-old Angel Stringfellow graduated from high school in Ogden last year, found a good job and got her own apartment.
Katherine "Katie" Hancock, a 15-year-old who lived in Eagle Mountain, discovered such a passion for Bikram yoga that she attended a 5:30 a.m. class six days a week. And Joseph Michael "Joe Ghost" Martinez, 16, loved riding his skateboard and hanging out with friends in Ogden.
Their families believed the teens had bright futures. But at different places and on different dates, all three lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes last year. They were among the 29 teenagers killed on Utah roads in 2014.
On Wednesday, their loved ones shared their grief at a news conference held by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) and Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) to motivate others to drive safely.
David Hancock was driving three of his children to Tooele on July 24 last year when a drunken driver crossed the center line on State Road 73 in Eagle Mountain and hit his Chevy head-on. The father, who said everyone in his car was wearing a seat belt, recounted calling out to his kids and hearing the two sons in the vehicle answer.
"Katie did not respond," he said.
Hancock looked and saw his daughter slumped over the dashboard; she had been killed instantly. The woman driving the other car, who the Utah County Sheriff's Office said had a blood alcohol level of 0.15, nearly double the legal limit, also died.
"One of the hardest things a parent can experience is to lose a child," Hancock said. "The person who decided to drink and drive that day made a terrible mistake."
He added: "Never, ever, ever drive impaired."
Stringfellow was killed when the car she was driving on Interstate 15 in Washington County on Oct. 9, 2014, slid off the freeway and down a steep embankment after she passed a large bus and her tire blew out.
The teen and a friend in the car — who were on their way to St. George to check out Dixie State University — were not wearing seat belts and both were thrown from the vehicle, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. The friend survived but Stringfellow did not.
Angie Child, Stingfellow's mother, said she doesn't want more families to go through what she did with the death of her daughter. Child encouraged parents to talk to their teenagers about safe driving habits.
"They don't realize that something bad can happen," she said.
Martinez was riding his skateboard on an Ogden street on the night of Nov. 1, 2014, when the driver of a pickup struck him, got out of the truck and then fled. A second vehicle later ran over the teen; that driver, who had not seen Martinez in the dark, called police and stayed on the scene.
The hit-and-run driver has not been located. The teen's grandmother, Kelly Wilkinson, wonders how that man can live with himself.
"He would be alive if the guy had called for help," she said. "We'll never be the same."
Wilkinson said her grandson was in the middle of the street and was wearing earphones when he was struck. She urged anyone who is outside at night to wear light-colored clothing and forget about listening to music. "Joe would say, 'Use your street smarts. Don't skateboard in the middle of the road,' " Wilkinson said.
The stories of the three teens are among the 10 included in "We'll Never Forget," a book that UDOH and UDOT publish annually as a tool to help young drivers realize the impact their decisions have on others. The books also are distributed to high school driver education classes statewide.
Shane Marshall, UDOT deputy director, said he believes the state can achieve a goal of zero fatalities on the roads.
"Zero begins with all of us," Marshall said. "Honor [the teens'] lives by driving safely."
Twitter: PamelaMansonSLC