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Family of Park City man killed in jet engine sues Salt Lake City airport

Salt Lake City International Airport in January 2024. The parents of Kyler Efinger are suing Salt Lake City, saying the airport lacked safeguards to prevent the young man's death when he suffered a manic episode and crawled into a jet engine.
Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City International Airport in January 2024. The parents of Kyler Efinger are suing Salt Lake City, saying the airport lacked safeguards to prevent the young man's death when he suffered a manic episode and crawled into a jet engine.

Salt Lake City did not take proper precautions to prevent people from accessing the tarmac, the family alleges.

Kyler Efinger died almost two years ago, after crawling into an airplane’s engine cowling at the Salt Lake City International Airport.

The plane’s pilot was not told that a disoriented man was wandering about the runway, and taxied his plane until it was too late, according to a lawsuit Judd and Lisa Efinger, Kyler’s parents, filed Tuesday against Salt Lake City.

That alleged oversight — as well as other issues the Efingers claim slowed the search effort for Kyler — show that the city failed to maintain safe and secure premises at the airport, Kyler’s parents claim in the legal filing.

The lawsuit argues that if police had found Kyler just 30 seconds earlier, he would still be alive.

The Efingers are requesting a jury trial to determine the amount of damages they should be paid, according to the court filing.

This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state. Read the full Salt Lake Tribune story here.