LOGAN — Authorities have released the identity of the 19-year-old Preston, Idaho, man who died in a motorcycle crash in Blacksmith Fork Canyon as Teagan Swanepoel. The accident was reported just before 11 p.m. on July 24, 2025.
Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Cade Brenchley said, Swanepoel was on a black Kawasaki, travelling westbound along SR-101. Near milepost 10, where the roadway curved to the right, he failed to negotiate the turn and ran off the left side of the road, plunging approximately 12 feet into the Blacksmith Fork River.
The bike ran off the road near the river bridge, landing in some brush on the other side of the river, before coming to a stop in the water.
Brenchley said Swanepoel died at the scene, despite wearing a helmet. Troopers are looking at speed and inexperience as possible factors in the crash.
Family members posted on social media that Swanepoel, who was originally from Monroe, Georgia, had loved living in Idaho, a “place with lots of trees to climb and rocks to summit and adventures to be had.” They also described how their son’s life was full and happy.