Park City resident Kyler Efinger was on his way to visit his dying grandpa when an airport security delay caused him to miss his flight. Kyler called his dad, Judd, about rebooking and the father says he could tell it wasn’t going well.
Kyler was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder when he was 20.
“After 10 years you sort of get good at seeing the behavior,” Judd said. “You know, he just gets really short and high energy. So, then it turns to triggers and things that trigger him - his journey through the airport, he had a bunch of triggering events. He was sort of profiled in TSA. And then he missed his flight because of the extended TSA. And once he missed his flight, he called me and I could just tell that this was not going to end well.”
While Kyler was on medication, his dad says he was also self-medicating with marijuana, which he says is not a good idea.
“I would just encourage other families that are going through this, it's just not OK. It's masking some of the issues, and really should have been going to professional doctors and therapists. I would just encourage any parents going through this to really push for that. And it's tough when they're adults because they can make their own choices.”
Kyler’s mental health struggles surfaced after high school, but before that he was often a victim of bullying throughout school, including college.
“A lot of kids just made fun of him for being hyper but he was always well-intentioned and just a real sweet kid. So, it really was the sort of traumatic events in college. But it was just, you know, heavily influenced by bullying, and he just could never quite understand why folks would treat him like that.”
For those who didn’t know Kyler, his dad called him a sensitive child, friendly and outgoing, who loved to ski and play soccer.
“[He was a] real special kid. He has the world's biggest heart and super kind soul. And, you know, unfortunately, in our world right now, that gets taken advantage of a bit.”
While his parents moved to Sun Valley a year ago, Kyler stayed in Park City where he was employed by a local hotel. Judd says his son had a good life.
“We hope he is in a happier place. And you know, we are going to really miss him. We just really want to honor Kyler and mental health issues and try to help the next family. And I think that's what we'll be focused on in the coming years here.”
Judd says the cause of death was likely due to head trauma, which happened very quickly. Kyler is survived by his parents and two siblings. A memorial service is being planned for after the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Summit County Clubhouse.
You can hear Judd Efinger’s full interview during the Local News Hour Jan. 4 at 8:30 a.m.
