Pregnant passenger killed in rollover on Beryl Highway identified

ST. GEORGE — The pregnant woman killed in the rollover on North Beryl Highway in Iron County two weeks ago has been identified by authorities as an Enterprise teen who was eight months pregnant when the crash took place.

L-R: Makaylyn Dorothy Frazier Bowler and her husband, Austin Leon Bowler, prior to the crash on Beryl Highway, location-date of photo not specified | Photo courtesy of Kim Johnson, St. George News

The passenger killed in the single-vehicle rollover reported Oct. 15 on North Beryl Highway has been identified as 18-year-old Makaylyn Dorothy Frazier Bowler, of Enterprise, Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter told St. George News.

Bowler was a first-time mother who was less than a month away from delivering a daughter at the time of the crash.

The rollover was reported several miles north of the Beryl Junction shortly before 11 p.m., and all three occupants were ejected from the black Dodge pickup truck that veered off the shoulder of the highway and rolled multiple times.

The back-seat passenger was unresponsive when responders arrived and was flown to St. George Regional Hospital in critical condition.

The driver and pregnant passenger’s husband, Austin Leon Bowler, was ground transported to the hospital in serious condition.

Carpenter said the investigation was turned over to the Utah Highway Patrol’s crash investigation team, as is standard in crashes that result in a fatality, and the team conducted an accident reconstruction using specialized laser scanning equipment at the scene the following day.

While the investigation into the crash remains open, the exact cause may remain elusive, Carpenter said, considering the rollover took place late at night on a remote stretch of highway. As such, no other motorists who reported witnessing the crash as it unfolded, he said.

Carpenter also called the loss of life “extremely tragic,” given there were two lives lost that night, the mother and her unborn baby.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family with medical costs and funeral expenses.

The organizer, Kim Johnson, set up the online fundraiser and wrote, “This is a horrible lost to the Frazier family, not only did they lose their daughter, they lost their granddaughter as well,” referring to the infant expected in less than a month when the rollover took place.

Funeral arrangements were prepared by Spilsbury Mortuary. 

This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. 

Ed. note: When making charitable contributions it is advisable to consult with professionals for tax advice and investment risks.

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

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!