Beautiful, caring, creative, debate team president, award winning writer, son, brother, and friend left for his fourth day of his junior year with his younger brother (age 15) at 7:00 a.m.
It was August 23, 2007, a beautiful and sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. He got into his car, buckled his seat belt, and drove away. He turned onto Center Street on the east side of Lehi, a very narrow and winding road. As he headed up the first hill that curves to the left he was slightly over the center line and going 10 to 15 miles over the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour. There were two cars coming down the hill around a blind corner. When Kiefer saw the first car he turned the wheel so as to not hit the car. He then overcorrected back across the center line where the second car was coming down the hill. At this time he overcorrected again and his car left the road and rolled down an embankment. His car landed upside down, wedged against a tree.
Kiefer died at 7:03 a.m. on that beautiful day, less than quarter mile from his home. His little brother had to help the men who stopped to get Kiefer out of the car. He had to get him out of his seat belt and pull him through the car and out the back window. On that day his brother lost not only a big brother and best friend but his innocence. I lost my oldest son, and the world lost a beautiful person, one who would have changed the world if given the time.