LDS missionary clinging to life after Idaho crash

By Bob Mims The Salt Lake Tribune

Published: September 5, 2013 10:43 am
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Mormon missionary remained in very critical condition Thursday in an Idaho hospital, two days after he was injured in a crash.

Wanda Lavin, a spokeswoman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said there had been no change for Taylor Ward, 19, of Vacaville, Calif., who was on life support at Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.

The Idaho State Patrol said the accident occurred just before 6 p.m. Tuesday on State Highway 39 near Rockford, when a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze driven by fellow missionary John Floyd allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign at the intersection with 100 South in Bingham County.

The Cruze was struck on the passenger side by a 2010 Ford F-350 pickup truck. The 23-year-old Blackfoot driver of the pickup was not seriously injured.

Floyd, 20, of Deep Run, N.C., was discharged Wednesday at Bingham Memorial Hospital in Blackfoot, Idaho. He is recovering from numerous scrapes and bruises.

Ten missionaries have died this year, according to an LDS church news release.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims

© Copyright 2024 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.