Nate Jaus loved his family. But they are coming to grips that he is no longer going to be the husband, father, son, and brother they love so much.

Jaus was in a head-on crash on Saturday, on his way to work at Hibbing Taconite. Conditions were slippery at the time.

Authorities said he was not wearing his seatbelt, and was ejected from his vehicle. He’s in a deep coma, after suffering a severe brain injury.

His wife, Hannah, is taking this moment to encourage others to wear their seatbelts. “If he’d been wearing one, he’d be here today,” she believes. “He did not go to work that day thinking he’d get into a car accident and leave his wife and daughter behind.”

This is also a time to encourage organ donation.

Jaus already donated a kidney to a close family friend in 2022.

Now he’s about to donate many more. “Nate was so selfless once, and he’s selfless once again. That’s how he lived his life, he’d give you the shirt off his back,” Hannah said.

Essentia raised the Donate Life flag in honor of Jaus, according to Hannah.

His daughter came up with the words spoken during the moment of silence. They are, “He was a brave guy and a dad. He likes to look for agates with his daughter. He had a lot of friends. He loved Ava and Mommy. He is going to save lots of lives.”

The surgeries are expected in the coming days.

Jaus loved spending time with his family, the outdoors, and working on tractors.

His final night with Ava included looking up at the stars, huddled under blankets.

There is a GoFundMe set up to help the family:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/nate-hannah-and-ava-jaus