‘She was so kind’: Family remembers Moab teen killed in head-on crash

MOAB, Utah — Family of Elexa “Lexi” VanArsdol say she was a kind, caring, gentle soul who always looked out for her four younger siblings.

“She loved them so much! She would do anything for them,” Dayna Handzlik, Lexi’s aunt, said. “They are all going to need a lot of love and support, but (her brother) was in the car with her, so he, you know, saw everything.”

Lexi was driving on U.S. Highway 191 at 400 East Tuesday afternoon when for unknown reasons she drifted into the southbound lane and hit a 3500 Ram pickup towing a gooseneck trailer with another pickup on the trailer. Her brother was a passenger in the car and walked away without injuries.

“It is just kind of unreal, like you just don’t plan for something like this to happen,” Handzlik said.

The teen’s father is a local pastor and since the accident, the family has received overwhelming support from the small Moab community.

“They are really taking care of my family. They are taking care of Kyle and Amanda and all of their kids,” Handzlik said. “It has been amazing to see.”

Family said the Grand County High School junior loved music and loved Christ.

“Her faith was really big to her and I think that gives our family a lot of peace because we just feel like we know where she is,” Handzlik said.

Lexi’s family is now focusing on the goodness she brought to their lives, saying we can all learn from the way she lived hers.

“Live like Lexi did with the way she treated people with the joy that she had, with the love that she gave to people,” Handzlik said.

Funeral services for Lexi will be held on Saturday, March 4 at 11 a.m. at the Grand County High School auditorium.