GREEN RIVER — According to a City of Green River press release, on the afternoon of September 18, 2017, at approximately 2:40 pm, City of Green River Parks Maintenance Operator David F. Hyer suffered a fall in the Recreation Center gymnasium that resulted in serious head trauma.

After being transported by ground ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, Mr. Hyer was airlifted to the University of Utah Medical Center at approximately 6:30 pm. Mr. Hyer passed away as a result of his injuries on Friday, September 22, 2017.

Witnesses report that Mr. Hyer was performing routine maintenance in the gymnasium while standing in an elevated scissor lift with proper guardrails in place. Preliminary internal findings indicate that the basketball backboard assembly he was working on made contact with the platform of the lift causing it to tip over sideways.

As with any workplace accident resulting in the overnight hospitalization of an employee, OSHA was immediately notified and Matthew Young, Senior OSHA Compliance Officer, arrived at the Recreation Center to begin his investigation on September 19, 2017.

The City has fully cooperated with the initial investigation and continues to provide Mr. Young with additional documentation as requested to complete his investigation. Prior to Mr. Young’s departure from the Recreation Center, the City received notice of hazards requiring abatement.

These items applied to the facility as a whole and were not specific to the accident that took place.

The City took immediate corrective action and completed abatement of such items as updating the Recreation Center Exposure Control Plan and Hazard Assessment, improvements to training documentation and equipment inspection recordkeeping, and obtaining a signature on a hepatitis- B declination form for one employee.

The City of Green River will continue to work with Mr. Young as he completes his investigation into this tragic accident.