Judge dismisses lawsuit over man's death in plane engine at Salt Lake City airport

A Utah judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Salt Lake City over the death of a Park City man who climbed into a plane's running engine at Salt Lake City International Airport, KUTV and FOX 13 reported. ^[1]

KUTV reported that Judge Heather Brereton granted the city's motion to dismiss the complaint with prejudice, ending claims brought by Judd and Lisa Efinger, the parents of Kyler Efinger and representatives of his estate. The order was signed Oct. 16. ^[1]

The family alleged the city failed to maintain airport security systems, failed to train employees to respond to mental health emergencies and failed to coordinate a timely search after Efinger left a secured area, according to KUTV. They brought claims of wrongful death, negligence and premises liability. The complaint said Efinger, 30, had a manic episode at the airport on Jan. 1, 2024, went through an emergency exit, crossed about a mile of airfield and climbed into the engine of an Airbus A220-100 that had begun taxiing. FOX 13 reported that police said he was a ticketed passenger with a boarding pass to Denver. ^[1]

In her ruling, Brereton said the claims involved duties the city owed to the traveling public generally rather than to Efinger individually, KUTV reported. She found the complaint did not allege facts establishing a special relationship that would create an exception to the public duty doctrine, and said the allegations, even if proven, would not entitle the family to relief. The court accepted the complaint's allegations as true for the motion and did not review body-camera footage submitted by the plaintiffs, KUTV said. ^[1]