5 in family, friend die in crash; 3 live

MAGNA — In what a Utah Highway Patrol trooper called an extreme tragedy, a 4-year-old boy lost his parents and three siblings in an accident that claimed the lives of six and injured two others early Saturday.

Veronica Martinez, 35, Ricardo Ramirez, 29, and their children — Mercedes Martinez, 15, Veronica Ramirez, 6, and Isabel Ramirez, 5 — and family friend Megan Foote, 15, all of Salt Lake County, were killed in the accident at an intersection of the 2100 South highway near Kennecott, about 10 miles west of Magna, about 1 a.m. Saturday.

Of the seven people inside the family's vehicle, only one survived — 4-year-old Ricardo Ramirez, who was taken by helicopter to Primary Children's Medical Center in serious condition.

"This is an extremely tragic accident, one of the worst I have seen in a long time," said UHP Sgt. Jeff Nigbur.

The Dodge Stratus the family was traveling in attempted to turn left off of state Route 202 and head east on state Route 201 when it was T-boned by a Mercury Sable traveling west on state Route 201, according to the UHP.

Veronica Martinez and Ricardo Ramirez were the only passengers wearing seat belts. They were in the front cab of the car, with 4-year-old Ricardo. The other four passengers were in the back seat, without seat belts. At least two of the occupants in the Stratus are believed to have been ejected, Nigbur said. Considering the grisly nature of the crash, officials were surprised the younger Ricardo Ramirez survived.

"Little Ricardo was in the front, and how he made it, we don't know," UHP spokesman Brian Hyer said. "The little guy must have some mission to do on earth or something."

The nature of the crash has made the cause very hard for investigators to determine, though they do not currently believe any alcohol was involved.

"This is a unique situation and it has made notifying families, but also identifying the cause of the accident, a very long and drawn-out process," Hyer said. "To have nine people in the accident and all either deceased or in the hospital is pretty rare, and that makes it difficult to get the information."

On Friday night a rave featuring DJ Benny Benassi was hosted at the Great Saltair with nearly 10,000 people were in attendance. Unified Fire Authority Capt. Clint Smith said Veronica Martinez and Ricardo Ramirez may have been providing a ride home to the teenagers who had been at the event.