Survivor doesn't remember crash

OGDEN — Robbie Petersen, one of two survivors of the van rollover that killed eight of his classmates and his instructor, doesn't remember whether he buckled up or anything else about the accident.

The last thing the 21-year-old Utah State University student said he could remember was looking out the window of the 15-passenger van at a shed where he and his classmates studying farm machinery had just seen a type of combine.

The students were returning from a field trip with USU's College of Agriculture when a tire blew on the van that sent it out of control on eastbound I-84, rolling four times and ejecting all 11 occupants.

Only Petersen and Jared Nelson, 22, survived. Nelson remains in critical but stable condition at Ogden Regional Medical Center. He is no longer in a coma but is under the influence of doctor-prescribed sedatives to keep him asleep and let his body heal, his father, Brent Nelson, said.

At a Friday news conference at McKay-Dee Hospital, an emotional Petersen remembered his friends who didn't survive.

"My heart is weighed very heavy with the loss of those in this terrible incident," Petersen said. "All of the men involved were some of the finest men I've ever met. I have nothing but the greatest love and respect for all those involved, and I hope the families can move on with their lives."

Petersen, who escaped with two broken femurs, broken ribs and a broken foot and nose, doesn't remember if he buckled up or not. "By habit, I do wear a seat belt," he said.

He bears marks that look like a seat belt rash, his father, Carl Petersen, had told the Deseret Morning News earlier and confirmed again Friday. But investigators for the Utah Highway Patrol maintain the condition of the belts in the van indicates that no one in the van was wearing a seat belt.

The fatal field trip was the first of the year for the group of mostly freshmen USU students. The group studied agriculture machinery technology and was on a field trip to learn about the workings of different machines.

Although school had convened just 2 1/2 weeks before, the group quickly became fast friends. Two of Petersen's high school friends — Dusty Dean Fuhriman and Justin Huggins — were in the class.

Petersen said he remembers that he drove from work to a tractor dealership in Tremonton, where he met up with the class to begin the trip. There was a lighthearted attitude in the van because they were glad to be out of the classroom, Petersen said.