Maggie Bringhurst always cared deeply about others, her father said.
If his 23-year-old daughter were still alive, she would be concerned for the wellbeing of her friend — the friend who was driving when the pair’s SUV crashed near Winnemucca, Nevada, on Aug. 6, killing Bringhurst. The friend was not injured, according to Nevada Highway Patrol.
“Maggie was just someone that had a heart of gold, who was always concerned about other people,” her father said. If she saw a stray dog on the street, “she’d take the dog into our backyard and find their owners” — just one example of empathetic she was.
Bringhurst was a University of Utah student who for two years worked as an opinion writer for the The Daily Utah Chronicle, the university’s independent, student-run publication, according to a news release from the Department of Communications. She was born and raised in Utah, her Chronicle staff bio states, and studied communications with a journalism emphasis. She was about to start her senior year.
“Much of Maggie’s work was community-oriented and focused on people and populations often overlooked or muted by the media,” the university release states, noting that her absence “will be felt among her peers and those who taught her.”
The crash happened at about 1:42 p.m. on Aug. 6, about eight miles east of Winnemucca. The pair were headed west on Interstate 80 — bound for a wedding in California — when, for unknown reasons, the driver veered left toward the center median, then overcorrected right, causing the vehicle to overturn, according to Nevada Highway Patrol. Bringhurst was pronounced dead at the scene.
Nevada troopers did not name the driver in a news release. Investigators suspect impairment was a factor, but it is unclear if an arrest has been made.
In her published opinion pieces, Bringhurst often wrote with a feminist, progressive lens. She described herself as “ex-Mormon,” according to one piece, and her staff bio states she wrote opinion pieces to “clear the cynicism from her system.”
In May, as the possibility of Roe v. Wade’s reversal loomed, she called on readers to show solidarity with “increasingly vulnerable groups” and donate to Planned Parenthood, the Wasatch Women’s Center and the Utah Abortion Fund.
“When institutions fall short, community can be a source of consolation,” she wrote.
Her father, Jason Bringhurst, said Maggie always had a passion for writing and reading and was an “avid journal keeper.” When she was younger, she had a special journal for sleepovers — dutifully noting who had come over and what they had done for each slumber party. She also wrote children’s books as she was growing up, he said.
“When she wrote in her journal, even up until her death, she would illustrate different things in her journal also — just places that she had been,” her father said.
And she had been many places. Her Instagram account documents recent trips to Bryce Canyon National Park, Las Vegas and Washington. She had taught English in Kyiv, Ukraine, while also visiting different countries in Europe. The father said one of his favorite memories of his daughter was during a trip abroad.
“Maggie and I and my wife went to France a few years ago, for the open house of the Paris temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Jason said. “She had a list of things that she wanted to see in Paris, and do different museums, and was just really excited about her opportunity to go to France for the first time and travel internationally. So we had just a wonderful vacation with her.”
Jason and his wife live in Port Angeles, Washington. A GoFundMe set up in Maggie’s honor has helped to pay for much of the expenses associated with her funeral. As of Friday, it had raised over $18,000.
“Knowing what had happened, we just had a tremendous amount of grief,” the father said, adding that the family was “very appreciative and just feel very supported by just so many people.”
Nevada Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash. Anyone who witnessed it may contact authorities at 775-753-1111.