Man and daughter die in crash near Tabiona

TABIONA, Duchesne County — An American Fork man and his teenage daughter were killed on their way to Thanksgiving dinner in Tabiona. Their minivan was struck by a semitrailer.

According to the Utah Highway Patrol, the van — which was also carrying the man's wife and two other children — was heading north on state Route 208 just after noon when it stopped at a stop sign at state Route 35. The van pulled out onto the roadway and was hit by a semitrailer headed east on state Route 35. Stuart Lewis, 43, and KaraLee Lewis, 18, died at the scene.

Trudy Ann Lewis, 46, was taken to University Hospital. James Andrew Lewis, 15, and Abigail Lewis, 11, were flown to Primary Children's Medical Center. All five family members were wearing seat belts, UHP said.

The semitrailer driver, William Lefler, was not injured. The road was closed for six hours.

The family was heading to Stuart Lewis' parents' home in Tabiona, according to his sister, Audrey Hoffman.

"They were 10 minutes away from dinner," she said.

Stuart Lewis was a supervisor dealing with memory cards at IM Flash Technologies in Lehi.

"He was a happy, upbeat guy. He devoted his life to his family," Hoffman said. "When he gave you a hug it would just make the whole world better."

She said he taught costume design classes in California for three years. He was the administrator of a Facebook page for the BYU theater department's costume shop.

Hoffman said Trudy Lewis, a secretary for the Alpine School District, was being treated for hip injuries, and her son James Andrew was in surgery with facial lacerations.

She said KaraLee Lewis was set to graduate from high school in May with an associate's degree already in hand, thanks to classes she was taking at Utah Valley University.

"She had the world in front of her," Hoffman said.

Another daughter who attends Utah State University was not in the vehicle.

Contributing: John Hollenhorst

e-mail: pkoepp@desnews.com, emorgan@desnews.com