Jennifer Houghton Recalls ‘Hardest and Most Emotional’ Weekend of Her Life After Husband Was in Helicopter Crash

• Influencer Jennifer Houghton, who posts with the handle TurtleCreekLane, updated followers on a Feb. 20 helicopter crash involving her husband Steve Houghton in Idaho.
• Jennifer shared photos of the helicopter wreckage as well as her husband in the hospital.
• The helicopter crashed on a frozen reservoir and killed the pilot and Steve’s friend, Brad Brown.

Jennifer Houghton, who posts on Instagram under the handle TurtleCreekLane opened up on Feb. 24 about an Idaho helicopter crash involving her husband on Feb. 20. Her husband, Steve Houghton, was injured in the crash, while his friend Brad Brown, who was serving as pilot died, the Bonneville County Sheriff confirmed in a statement.

“This past weekend has been one of the hardest and most emotional of our lives,” Jennifer, 56, wrote on her Instagram Stories on Feb. 24. “Before I share more, I want to thank the thousands of you who have reached out with love and support, especially for Steve. Your kindness has meant everything to us. This is still very raw, but I want to share with you what happened.”

Jennifer shared photos of her family with Steve in the hospital, as well as photos of the helicopter wreckage.

Jennifer was at dinner with some of her children near their home in Dallas, TX, where they live, on Feb. 20 when, she wrote, “I received a ‘crash’ notification on my phone.” At first, she thought it was a false alarm from Steve’s phone, however, she then realized it was from Brad’s helicopter. “My heart dropped,” she recalled.

Using GPS, she and her kids realized they had been near Idaho’s Ririe Reservoir. “Moments later, my phone rang with an unknown number with an Idaho area code. A man was on the other end,” she wrote. “His voice was steady but uncertain. ‘There’s been a crash.’” Jennifer’s son Steven Jr. took the phone.

“We didn’t learn until days later that this man wasn’t a paramedic or a first responder. He was just a stranger, a Good Samaritan, who had been out snowmobiling when he came upon the wreckage,” she said. “Time blurred. I must have been holding my breath because I only remember the moment Steven finally looked at me and delivered the news ‘Dad is alive… but Brad didn’t make it.’”

Thanks to “the incredible kindness of so many people” the family was able to locate a jet to take them to Idaho “as quickly as possible.” Not knowing what condition Steve was in, they landed in Idaho just after midnight.

“With every member of the family present, we made our way straight to the hospital,” she said. “As we waited to be allowed into his room, time stretched thin. Then, at last, a nurse appeared and motioned for us to follow. Steve was sedated but awake when we entered his room.”

Jennifer wrote, “The moment I saw him, a flood of emotions crashed over me-relief that he was alive, heartbreak at the sight of him lying there, gratitude that he did not have bandages on his head, and an overwhelming sense of loss that there weren’t two hospital beds.”

Brad, 59, was the founder of ATL Technology and CEO of BioUtah. He is survived by his wife Shannon Brown, six children and two grandchildren, according to Utah’s Daily Herald. Jennifer wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Our hearts are with Brad’s family. . . . Brad was a rare kind of friend; the king who found just as much joy in your victories as his own.”

“That kind of friendship is special, and it’s something Steve will always treasure,” Jennifer wrote, calling her husband “heartbroken.”

The helicopter crashed onto the reservoir’s ice. After, the Ririe Reservoir and the surrounding area were closed because of “downed power lines and unstable ice conditions.” Sgt. Bryan Lovell of the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Department told PEOPLE on Feb. 24 that the sheriff’s department worked with the FAA and NTSB to safely remove the wreckage. He noted that the area is only accessible by snowmobile and on unstable ice. “All of it has been removed, the power line is removed, and the area is back to normal,” he said.

Jennifer and Steve, 61, share five children, Steven Jr., Tiffany, Tanner, Sam, and McKenna Kate. She is most famous online for decorating her home in over-the-top themes for holidays like Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

Steve is Chairman and CEO of Houghton Capital, according to BYU’s School of Business. Steve published the 2024 book Rich Routines: Simple Habits That Enrich Every Area of Your Life. He also owns his own helicopter, which has been featured on Jennifer’s account. Steve also used it to assist after Hurricane Helene, per WSOC-TV.

The Houghton family did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.