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MONTPELIER, Idaho — On Dec. 3, three boys lost their mom in a car accident in Bear Lake County, in southeastern Idaho. Family members are remembering the woman as an "amazing mom" who was "unapologetically herself."
Kaitlyn Anderson, 24, was a single mom and was driving home after picking up her youngest son from his father's house when the accident happened, her older brother Jake Adams told KSL.com.
"We don't really know exactly where it happened, but she was going between Montpelier and Soda Springs (Idaho) after picking her son up from his dad's house," Adams said. "She was going downhill on a road that curved and the weather wasn't good. She ended up hitting some black ice, crossing the middle line and colliding with another car."
The crash occurred just before 8 p.m. on U.S. 30 several miles north of Georgetown, Idaho, when Anderson crossed the center line while heading west and hit an eastbound pickup truck, according to police reports. Five people, including two adults and two children in the pickup truck, were injured. Anderson's 2-year-old son, who was in the car with her, was also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Anderson was not wearing a seat belt and died from her injuries, police said.
"Her kids were her life," he said. "She was such an amazing mom and just always a bright light in our lives. Her personality was infectious, and you couldn't help but love her because she was just unapologetically herself and not afraid to just be her, which was amazing."
Adams is the oldest sibling in a family of three kids, and Anderson was the youngest. He said despite the decade gap between the two of them, he looked to her as an example of being brave and not afraid of what others thought.
He recalled a time when his sister was a little girl and they were going to get some ice cream. Adams said he was too timid to go to the counter to ask for his ice cream, but Anderson, who "could barely see over the counter," walked right up and gave the worker her order.
"Being 10 years older than her, I looked up to her for her ability to be who she is and not worry about what others thought," he said. "Kaitlyn was a goofball growing up, and she was just so full of life and funny as heck. She had a lot of spunk and charisma, and she was not afraid to do anything."
Anderson spent much of her childhood in St. George but was living in Montpelier, Idaho, at the time of the accident. She leaves behind three boys, ages 8, 6 and 2 years old.
Adams set up a GoFundMe* account to "cover funeral expenses and to set aside something for her boys," who he hopes will also know how much their mom loved them. Her funeral was held Monday in Logan.
*KSL.com does not assure the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
