Family of man killed in trooper-involved crash thanks community, ask for prayers

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Mandie and Jack Wilcoxon went on a walk in their Eagle Mountain neighborhood when tragedy struck on Jan. 7.

Jack Wilcoxon, 34, was hit and killed by an on-duty Utah Highway Patrol trooper, leaving behind his wife, three children and countless friends and family.

The crash, still under investigation, happened around 9:40 p.m. near the intersection of Lake Mountain Road and Pole Canyon Boulevard in Eagle Mountain, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

Jamie Buckner-Bridges knows the Wilcoxon family through a veteran-spouse group of which she and Mandie Wilcoxon were a part. Jack Wilcoxon served in the U.S. Army as a medic for six years, during which he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Buckner-Bridges told KSL.

"Jack was the primary source of income," she said. "(Mandie) is a stay-at-home mom. They have three kids, ages 8, 10 and 15. It's just devastating, any way you look at it. It's emotionally devastating. It's financially devastating."

Buckner-Bridges set up a GoFundMe* account to help with funeral expenses and any immediate financial needs of the family.

"They're in a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other stance right now," Buckner-Bridges said, adding that the money would provide financial support "so that they can focus on grieving, and learning to live in a world that doesn't include their husband and father."

Buckner-Bridges spoke lovingly of Jack Wilcoxon, describing him as a "man of very strong conviction."

"He was a devoted husband, and a really active, loving dad," she said. "He loved hunting. He loved going to the movies. He loved good food. He loved traveling with his family. He was famous for his dad jokes. After he got out of the Army, he went to mechanic school and became a diesel mechanic in the oil fields in Texas and North Dakota. … He believed really deeply in caring for people, and he was always the first to stand up to injustice. … He was a man of very strong conviction."

Buckner-Bridges said that prior to the tragic accident, Jack Wilcoxon had goals of starting his own leadership consulting company, taking what he had learned in the Army and in the oil fields. Now, his wife and children are grieving while also moving forward in a way they believe he would want them to.

"I've spent a lot of time with Mandie since the accident, and she is really focused on being a present and supportive mother to her kids," Buckner-Bridges said. "I think it would be understandable and natural for any woman to disappear into their grief. She really is standing firm in that she's going to grieve openly with her kids so that they have that model of emotional processing while being fully there and present with them. She's doing as much as she can with them and for them while also caring for herself."

'Two families are suffering right now'

Buckner-Bridges said Mandie Wilcoxon wants people to know that she and her family extend their love to the trooper, adding that it is what they want and what they know Jack Wilcoxon would want, too.

"Mandie wanted everyone to know that there are two families that are suffering, right now," Buckner-Bridges said. "There's her family, and then also the officer and his family. It was a tragic, horrible accident, and Mandie really wants everyone to honor her husband's memory by approaching all sides of this terrible situation with love, kindness, and compassion because that's the kind of man Jack was.

"Jack was a loving, open-hearted, charismatic, magnetic kind of guy, and he would have never wanted anybody to be the target of anger or blame or hate because of something that was just a terrible accident," she continued. "So it's really important to her to have everybody holding not only her family but the officer's family in their prayers."

Expressing gratitude

The Wilcoxons moved to Eagle Mountain this past September, and despite being in the community for only a few months, they have received support in numerous ways, Buckner-Bridges said. She said Mandie Wilcoxon wanted to express her gratitude to the community for their support during this difficult time.

"Mandie has felt this overwhelming gratitude for the love and support from the Eagle Mountain community, " Buckner-Bridges said. "Despite just moving into town, people have shown up and helped in every possible way that they can, with food, laundry, house cleaning, and taking the kids out for activities. They just do it from this place of love and compassion in their hearts, and she has just been really floored and so deeply grateful for the people in the community and the love that they have shown her."

Buckner-Bridges says she hopes to provide her friend with some "financial reprieve" during this difficult time.

"The logistics of life don't stop when tragedy strikes," she said.

*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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