LDS missionary critically injured in Oklahoma car accident

So grateful for this missionary & the life & example she set for others. Let's not remember her by no seat belt, please!!
I do wonder why the van driver was making an illegal, unsafe u-turn on such a dangerous, congested highway? RIP young lady, keep up the great work!

I pray for their well-being. Those U-turn areas are indeed not for non-civilian use, injuries resulting from people trying to use them aren't that uncommon here.

So sorry to hear about Sister Vea's passing. May the Lord's blessings be with her family and friends and may the coming days be a celebration of Nancy's life.

The Greenwood Ward is in our stake and Sister Vea did not survive the crash. We are all saddened by her loss. The turnpike where the crash occurred is a dangerous roadway in the best of circumstances because people follow too closely and they don't pay attention to the drivers in front of them until it's too late. So for all who are looking for "blame", please take heed and pay more attention to YOUR driving in the future. Leave plenty of space between you and the vehicle in front of you. My heart goes out to those who are left behind. I pray they will find peace in knowing she is still actively on a mission serving on the other side of the veil. I pray for those who survived the crash also. They have already been released from the hospital but each has suffered a loss none of us can understand unless we have been there ourselves. Please pray for them and their families.

At least in my mission I never had a problem being able to wear a seat belt while in a car. True, it was Las Vegas, so not as poor as many areas, and 2000-2002 so seat belts were very common. I once dealt with a member on splits (who actually was a cop) who refused to wear a seatbelt on the grounds that as a true born Nevadan he didn't do such things. I found that strange. However, it was very clear that we were to wear seatbelts at all times, and not to transport non-missionaries in mission cars, and seek to when setting up rides to church do so in a way that those coming would all have seat belts.

Actually, missionaries do have a rule to wear seatbelts. When I was on my mission we watched a whole car safety training video entitled "seatbelts prevent injuries and save lives." They said that in the video at least 15 times.

Honestly there is a rules about on missionary being outside the vehicle anytime a missionary is driving and needs to back up? No wonder. Too many micromanagement rules. These are grown ups. The military isn't this extreme. Simplification may go farther.

May she rest in peace. Prayers go out to her family. She died while doing the Lord's work here on earth. She will continue doing it in heaven.

Sadly I report Vea did not make it, having died in the hospital.

I always look to see if everyone is belted, especially the elders and sisters. Never have I seen them without seat belts. In Maryland the driver is subject to a fine if anyone in his car is not wearing a seat belt. Speed, on the part of member driving, was not a factor as they were attempting a "U" turn and likely were well under 10 MPH.
We can all pray for her recovery and all fasten those seat belts.
Don, the retired driver education teacher.

I don't know which is worse--the letters which say (in effect): "She should have been wearing a seat belt and it's her fault that she got hurt"--or the letters which say (in effect): "It's not her fault. Maybe the latch didn't catch. Maybe there weren't seat belts in the back. Maybe (whatever)".

Does it really matter right now?

A lovely young woman is dead. A family is grieving the loss of their daughter, their sister. This is so much NOT the time or the place to be pointedly reminding the readers of the cause of the accident.

If the DN wants to write an article in a month or two on auto safety, by all means. And an analysis of the details of this accident could, then, be useful. But not now. The hurt is too real, too raw, and too personal to Nancy's family and friends.

I know the young sister was in the Lord's hands and still is. My love goes out to her family because I know how much this beautiful young woman will be missed. I am so grateful for the knowledge of life after we pass from here and I agree with Brent T. that she will continue her mission on the other side. Her family will be reunited once again in peace and joy. This wasn't about a seat belt, it was about her being called home by a loving Father in Heaven. Age is not the factor in when we leave this mortal experience either. Once more, my condolences to her loving family and friends.

RE: Cletorn "Missionaries ARE required to wear seatbelts..." The problem is that missionaries often have to go around in members' and investigators' cars, which are often in poor repair and require too many passengers in the vehicle - particularly if the area is poor like where my son served.

Love and prayers to the family and friends.

My neighbor's daughter is about to leave for her mission in Moscow.

Everyone who drives or rides in a Church vehicle is *required* to wear a seat belt -- whether in the front seats or in the back. My heart goes out to the families of those missionaries who were involved in this terrible accident, and to those whom the accident affected, including the drivers of the truck and bus.

There is a mission rule regarding seat belts. The mission rules are so thorough they even require one of the missionaries to be outside the vehicle whenever it is backing up. As to the circumstances and the explanation why her seat belt was not on at the time of the accident we may never know and at this point it doesn't matter. May the tender mercies of the Lord bless her and all who love her and may her influence continue to resonate and touch the lives of all who know her. It doesn't sound good for her remaining much longer in mortality but miracles quietly happen and we will pray for the Lord's will be done.

@ K -

I agree, and I'm pretty sure seat belts for missionaries is a rule, and she probably always followed it. Sometimes some small distraction in the blink of an eye can change your life. Heavenly Father is in charge. I'm not sure it was her "time" to go or not, but the Lord will make up for our human-ness, even in an accident and decide how he can best use us to his purposes. If her story brings strength and inspiration, causes us all to be sure we are buckled no matter what, maybe even lead someone to the Gospel - then her mission was complete. "Well Done! Thou good and faithful servant!"

This sounds like an obituary. This good sister is still with us. Let's pray she stays this way.

WE know the fearless attitude all missionaries must have to leave home and go far, but the brave hearts of the parents who let them go can't be overlooked nor the fear they feel for their fearless missionaries.

Missionaries ARE required to wear seatbelts regardless of driver/passenger or front seat/back seat positioning. At least, they were in my mission - and that was 40 years ago. It's hard to imagine things might become more lax or less wide-spread since then.

Even so, my prayers go out to the family and friends of this stalwart as she continues her mission.

do commiserate with the family, so sorry. Hope they were not speeding. Youth sometimes take their lives in their hands - leave the speed limit behind as one priesthood holder recently said - leave the Lord behind.

Why Oh why was she not wearing a seatbelt? It is state law were I live all people must be wearing a seatbelt at all times. I know it is mission rules to wear one. This is one of the fears I have is to lose a son while he is serving. My heart aches for her family.

"Vea was not wearing a seat belt,..."

My son served a mission risking his neck at times. He made it back. But this is terrible.

Actually Sister Vea's family recently moved to Utah. Her farewell, literally packed to walls with many using standing room only in our small chapel here in Aurora Colorado, and departure was from the Cherry Creek Ward in the Denver Stake. But we know (and hope) that her family there in Utah will have much support in West Jordan.

She did cross to the other side of the veil as a result of her injuries where she'll continue her missionary labors. Hopefully future stories about her service and passing will be less about the circumstances of her death, and more about the wonderful "beacon of light" (as was expressed at a memorial service for her this evening) she was for her family recently activated and sealed in the temple, as well as those around her at church (where she served and was a joy to serve) and school.

Do you think it's possible to live in a world without tragedy? There were six people in the vehicle. Only the front seat drivers must wear seat belts. Maybe the vehicle didn't have them in the back for all passengers? Maybe she took hers off for a brief moment to get something off the floor of the vehicle? Maybe it was on but just not snapped in properly? Maybe people should serve missions in their own communities and drive their own vehicles? People get injured and sometimes die in car accidents.

I wish since she is on life support and hasn't passed yet, that the comments about her weren't phrased in the past tense in the article.

I hope and pray she fully recovers. This is so heartbreaking. I pray that our dear Heavenly Father and His Holy Son, Jesus abide with her in her heart and mind and give her the strength and courage that she will need to live. Prayers also go out to her family and all who love her. This is very sad.

I agree that missionaries should be mandated to wear seat belts as soon as they step inside a car.

My prayers go out to the family. I hope she recovers.

I lost count of the funerals I've been to where someone was killed because they were in a car crash and they had no seat belt.

I don't make missionary rules. But I know missionaries should not play with fireworks, they should not shoot guns, they should not go swimming. Most of the time with these activities, nothing is going to happen. There is only a small risk of danger. But if you have 80,000 missionaries who go swimming or shooting fireworks, or to a gun range on their P-day, someone is bound to get hurt and the director of the missionary department is going to have to make a very difficult call to the parents.

Maybe they should have a rule about, "Wear seatbelts and if a missionary is driving everyone in the car needs to have seatbelts."