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LEHI — It was a crash he couldn't avoid. Lehi resident Chris Olsen said a patch of black ice was responsible for a terrible accident that changed his life forever.

It happened Jan. 12 when he and his wife, Michelle, were headed home on Timpanogos Highway.

“We spun out completely … and then by the time it straightened out, we hit the rail,” Chris Olsen said.

That hit caused their truck to flip several times, landing on the passenger’s side where Michelle was sitting.

“She said, ‘lift it up off me,’ and I said, ‘I can't,’ and that was it,” he said. “So I just, I don't know. I wish so many different things happened that night.”

Michelle Olsen was responsive on her ride to the hospital but died shortly after arriving. Chris Olsen received a hand injury that might require a cast.

Chris Olsen's wife Michelle. Photo: Family photo

The two had been married for two years before adopting Monte, their dog, that was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The accident scared Monte, who ran away and was on the run for a week.

“You know if I find him, he's going to be the one helping me out right now,” Chris Olsen said.

Posts about losing Monte made the rounds on social media. Chris Olsen said for the last week he’s received tips on Monte sightings.

Finally, on Thursday, a vigilant Highland resident helped catch the dog and get him back home. It is a reunion Chris Olsen said he had hoped would come sooner, but one he felt happened because of his wife on the other side.

“There's no way that he could've lasted without some kind of spirit guiding him,” he said. “I feel like Monte is a blessing in my life right now being able to help me out through this."

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