Theft of DoorDash car takes away only source of income for single mom in Cedar City

Breanna McGowen's car after it was stolen from a McDonald's in Cedar City, and recovered near Hurricane, Utah, April 25, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Breanna McGowen, for St. George News

ST. GEORGE — After her car was stolen from a McDonald’s in Cedar City on Sunday, Breanna McGowen, a single mother of two young sons, said she felt numb.

She wasn’t aware at the time that the alleged thief led troopers on a high-speed chase and hitting speeds in excess of 100 mph, troopers said, before crashing the car in a gully near Hurricane, as previously reported by St. George News.

“The troopers called about an hour later to say they’d located my car,” McGowen told St. George News. “They said it was totaled.”

She said she’s still not sure about the amount of time that lapsed between the moment a stranger drove off in her car and the trooper’s call.

“It felt like it wasn’t real,” she said. “That was my only source of income.”

Breanna McGowen’s car after it was stolen from a McDonald’s in Cedar City and recovered near Hurricane, Utah, April 25, 2021 | Photo by David Dudley, St. George News

When McGowen called Progressive, her car insurance provider, they said they’d get back to her, she said, which took about 24 hours. Again, she said, the time may be off.

“It’s still blurry,” she said. “They told me that, because I was working for DoorDash when it happened, I wasn’t covered. They wouldn’t cover towing or damages.”

This, in spite of the fact that McGowen had full coverage, she said. McGowen then called DoorDash to see if they might be able to help.

“They said that, if I had been driving and hit another car, they would cover damages and injuries to the other driver,” McGowen said. “But because my car was stolen, they wouldn’t cover anything.”

McGowen’s sister-in-law, Candace Morris, set up a fundraiser to help McGowen replace her car before her situation gets any worse.

“She can’t take her kids to school or doctor’s appointments,” Morris told St. George News. “Soon, she won’t be able to pay her bills. Her only source of income is gone.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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