Payette family mourns loss of father
By Andy Gates | Argus Observer
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 11:02 AM PST
PAYETTE - A young father from Payette who died tragically in a single vehicle rollover Sunday in Nevada near Austin will be missed by many people, a member of his family said.
Randall Michael, 20, was driving with his 19-year-old wife and their two daughters aged two 2 and 5 months, along Nevada Highway 305, when their vehicle drifted off the edge of the road Sunday around 3:40 p.m., “for unknown reasons” and overturned several times, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper George Edwards said.
Michael's sister, Becky Castillo, 24, Payette, said she has not heard why the vehicle left the roadway, but she is deeply saddened and shocked by her brother's untimely death.
“We're all devastated,” Castillo said, “He'll be missed by many.”
Michael was wearing a seat belt, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Edwards said.
Michael and his wife, Sherry Michael, 19, had recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary, Castillo said, and they were in Nevada on the way to Sherry Michael's parents' home.
Michael was unemployed and Sherry Michael was a stay-at-home mother to their two daughters, Mikahayla and Emily, Castillo said.
Sherry Michael and the two children were flown to Battle Mountain General Hospital for treatment, Edwards said.
Castillo said Sherry Michael suffered a broken pelvis and a compressed fracture of the back, and will be in the hospital for a while.
The girls could be arriving back in Payette today, Castillo said.
Michael's body should be brought to Payette sometime Wednesday, Castillo said, and funeral arrangements have yet to be set.
Michael graduated from Payette High School, Castillo said, and he was known for his upbeat demeanor and as a man who often laughed and smiled.
Castillo said she is deeply saddened for her young nieces, “he will be missed greatly by them,” she said.
Police did not suspect drugs or alcohol were involved, but the case is still under investigation, Edwards said.
Sherry Michael was wearing her seat belt in the backseat with the children, and the only person in the front was Michael, Edwards said.
The children were in safety seats, and police did not note any injuries to them, but they were transported to the hospital with their mother, Edwards said.
Weather was clear and not an apparent factor in the accident, Edwards said.
