Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Dallas Gunn, a former firefighter, remembers responding to a serious rollover crash involving his family.
- All were wearing seat belts, which he credits for his family's full recovery.
- Utah Highway Patrol is urging seat belt use, with increased enforcement during the Thanksgiving weekend.
MIDVALE — When Dallas Gunn got the call that there had been a rollover crash near the Utah-Wyoming border, he immediately grabbed his gear and responded.
Gunn was a volunteer firefighter for the Evanston Fire Department in Wyoming. The crash was on I-80 in Utah about six miles west of the border. When he got to the scene, however, he was told he needed to stand down and let other firefighters handle the incident.
"This is your family," the fire chief told Gunn, who says he initially didn't recognize his own vehicle "because it was upside down."
The family's Nissan Titan had rolled four-and-a-half times into the median after overcorrecting, he said. Gunn's wife, mother-in-law and three children, ages 9, 11 and 12, had been in the vehicle. While Gunn was with three of his family members who had gotten out of the truck, he watched as rescuers worked to free his daughter who was in the back seat but her arms were outside the truck under the window frame.
That was several years ago. Today, Gunn says all five family members have made full recoveries.
"I attribute them all being here today for having seat belts and having them on," he said. "They did what I told them to."
Gunn shared his story Tuesday as part of the Utah Highway Patrol's annual reminder for all drivers and passengers to buckle up as they hit the road during the busy, and potentially snowy, extended holiday weekend.
"Our message is to please wear your seat belt during this busy Thanksgiving and holiday time period. We are going to see an increase in crashes," said UHP Major Steve Salas.
While seat belt usage in Utah is up since wearing one became a primary offense in 2015 — meaning a driver can be pulled over for not buckling up — seat belt usage in 2024 is down slightly from last year, according to statistics from UHP and Highway Safety Office.
As of Nov. 19, 251 people have been killed in 228 crashes statewide during 2024. The person killed was not wearing a seat belt in about 22% of those incidents, the highway patrol said.
If just one person is unrestrained in a vehicle, it could be potentially deadly for everyone, Salas said.
"That person basically becomes a projectile inside the vehicle. And if that vehicle is involved in a significant collision or a rollover, that person is going to not only cause significant injury to themself but to anyone else inside that vehicle," he said.
From Wednesday through Sunday, 42 law enforcement agencies statewide will be working an additional 260 "click it or ticket" shifts, specifically looking for drivers not wearing their seat belts.
Gunn said his daughter was flown to Primary Children's Hospital where she spent 11 days being treated for a broken leg, among other injuries. But if not for wearing a seat belt, he says it would have been much worse.
Today, Gunn is retired from the fire department but works for the Utah Department of Transportation as a semi inspector at the Echo Point of Entry. He says he sees drivers not wearing seat belts all the time, particularly long-haul semi drivers who mainly don't buckle up due to comfort.
"It could be a little uncomfortable but it can save your life," Gunn said.
During his career, Gunn has seen vehicles involved in crashes that sustained far less damage than his family's truck that resulted in a fatality, and crashes with more damage in which everyone survived because seat belts were worn.
"They do save lives," he emphasized.
