At a Glance
- Jenna Guerra, 41, fell 70 feet to her death on Jan. 9 while helping a crash victim on a Utah highway
- The Army veteran and mom of two had just told her partner “love you” before jumping a barrier to avoid an oncoming car
- Family is raising funds to bring her body from Utah back to North Carolina
- Why it matters: A Good Samaritan act ends in tragedy, leaving two sons without their mother
A North Carolina mother and U.S. Army veteran died after plunging 70 feet off an Interstate 84 bridge in Utah when she stopped to help a stranded driver and was forced to leap a barrier to dodge an oncoming vehicle.
The crash happened around 6 a.m. on Jan. 9 in Weber Canyon at milepost 90, where the highway crosses railroad tracks. Jenna Guerra, 41, was en route from Tennessee to Washington state with her boyfriend, Joby Arnette, when black ice sent the car ahead of them into a concrete barrier.
Guerra immediately pulled over.
“She was gonna go and make sure everybody’s okay, because that’s a normal thing [for her],” Arnette told KTVX.
While Arnette put on his shoes, Guerra headed toward the disabled vehicle. She turned back for a moment.
“Love you,” she said.
“I love you,” Arnette replied.
Those were her last words.
Hearing tires squeal, Guerra jumped the roadside barrier to avoid a third car sliding on ice. She disappeared from view. Arnette walked back and found empty air where she had stood moments earlier.
“I didn’t see her anywhere,” he said.
First responders later confirmed she had fallen the full seven stories to the ground below.
Guerra’s two teenage sons, Lucas and Sebastian, told News Of Los Angeles affiliate WNCN that their mother’s final act embodied who she was.
“This isn’t the way she should have left us or passed away, but I’m glad that she was doing what she loved; she loved to help people,” Lucas said.
Guerra served in the Army until her honorable discharge in 2011 and recently launched a trucking company with Arnette. She worked as a dental technician and, relatives say, “selflessness and generosity guided everything she did.”
The Utah Highway Patrol has not released additional details about the incident.
With Guerra’s body still in Utah, her family started a GoFundMe campaign to cover transportation costs to North Carolina.
“We are asking for help to bring Jenna home to her children,” the organizer wrote.
Lucas said he struggles knowing his mother will miss milestones in his life.
“I always hoped that she could see what I would do with my life, and I know she was so proud of me and Sebastian, and her not being able to see us grow up and all the things I’ll do with my life is really tough.”
Donations continue to arrive as word of Guerra’s final act spreads. The family hopes to hold services near their home once her remains are returned.
