Learner Driver's Fatal Wrong-Way Crash

A tragic wrong-way collision on Interstate 15 in Utah resulted in the deaths of a young couple, 17-year-old Anneka Wilson and 18-year-old Leo Shepherd. The incident occurred just before 2 AM on Saturday when Jose Jimenez, a 21-year-old learner driver, reportedly drove the wrong way down the highway while allegedly under the influence. Jimenez's vehicle slammed into the couple's car, causing a fiery explosion. Both Wilson and Shepherd sustained fatal injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Jimenez, who suffered minor injuries, was arrested on charges including automobile homicide and driving under the influence. Court documents revealed Jimenez admitted to feeling unsafe behind the wheel. Utah Highway Patrol described the scene as horrific, one of the worst they had personally witnessed. The southbound lanes of I-15 were closed for several hours following the crash. Authorities also reported another wrong-way driver in the vicinity around the same time, who was stopped before any further accidents occurred.

Wilson and Shepherd were on their way to visit Wilson's aunt in Idaho for the Thanksgiving weekend. Friends and family remember Wilson as a "loving, caring soul" with a "zest for life" who had earned scholarships to Snow College and Utah Tech. Shepherd was described as a "gentle, warm, and real" hard worker, devoted to his family and deeply loved being an uncle. Their families shared their profound heartbreak, noting that their lives would never be the same.