Fundraiser being held for family that lost 5 members, including 3 children, in fatal I-15 crash

Scene from an accident that killed eight occupants near Kanosh, Utah, July 25, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A raffle ticket sale and fundraiser is being held to help a coach who lost five members of his family in the deadly multivehicle crash Sunday on Interstate 15 in Millard County that resulted in a total of eight fatalities.

Sawyer family photos posted on GoFundme Account
family, St. George, Utah, July 27, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Mason Sawyer, St. George News

The fundraiser is being held Friday to help the Sawyer family following Sunday’s crash, when five members of the family were killed in one of 22 car crashes that occurred as the result of a blinding dust storm.

Mason Sawyer is a coach for Nets on Fire, a nonprofit organization that provides basketball training for school-age children, as well as a leadership academy.

Jermaine Odjegba, Nets on Fire youth director, told St. George News that Sawyer and his family had recently moved to the St. George area, and he was hired as a coach with the organization a little more than one month ago. Sawyer was awaiting his family’s return home on Sunday when the crash took place.

Sawyer’s wife, Kortni, was in the vehicle with three of their children – 6-year-old Riggins, 3-year-old Blue and 2-year-old Frankie – along with Sawyer’s brother, Race Sawyer of Lehi, and his nephew, 12-year-old Ryder. Besides Blue Sawyer, all occupants of the vehicle were killed in the crash.

Mason Sawyer family fundraiser and raffle ticket sale is being held at Nets on Fire in St. George, Utah, July 31, 2021 | Image courtesy of Nets on Fire, St. George News

Blue Sawyer sustained a fractured hand and other injuries and was transported to the hospital from the scene. He was released the following day and is still recovering from his injuries.

The Nets on Fire basketball facility where Mason Sawyer works was closed Monday following the crash but reopened Tuesday, and all funds raised through Saturday will go to help the Sawyer Family.

Odjegba said the Sawyer’s are considered part of the organization’s family and that the events that took place on Sunday were incredibly tragic. As such, they are also holding a raffle ticket fundraiser as a way to help the family as much as possible.

The tickets can be purchased throughout the week, Odjegba said, and the winning tickets will be drawn late Saturday night at the Nets on Fire roller skating rink, dubbed “The Rinq,” located at 1871 W. Canyon View Drive in St. George. Event organizers told St. George News on Thursday that there will be prizes from Fabulous Freddy’s, Tagg n Go car wash, Megaplex cinemas, The Rinq, Fiesta Fun, Tuacahn ticket to “Annie,” Splash drink, training at Intermountain Sports and Nets on Fire, Riverside Medical Arts facial treatment, Burke & Beckstrom Orthodontics, a one-night stay at Eureka Hotel and Casino in Mesquite with a food credit to Gregory’s Grill and 18 holes of golf with cart at Sky Mountain in Hurricane.

The rink will be open all day on Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

The tickets can be purchased at Nets on Fire or by calling 435-705-4922. For more information go to the Nets on Fire Facebook page or email info@netsonfire.org.

A GoFundMe account was also set up shortly after the crash to help the family with the medical costs and funeral expenses, as well as other expenses following the tragedy.

In addition to the five occupants from the Sawyer family that died in Sunday’s crash, three other travelers were killed, including 51-year-old Richard Lorenzon and 47-year-old Maricela Lorenzon, both from Salt Lake City who were traveling together at the time, and a passenger in a third vehicle, 15-year-old Cameron Valentine, of Yuma, Arizona.

Event details

  • What: Sawyer Family raffle ticket fundraiser.
  • When: Saturday, July 31, from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Where: The RinQ – part of the Nets on Fire complex located at 871 W. Canyon View Drive in St. George.
  • Resources: Facebook.

Updated July 29 at 9:45 a.m. to include raffle prizes.

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

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