BRIGHAM CITY — A Fruit Heights man has been cited for failing to secure his mattress, leading to the death of a motorcyclist.

Gerald Holgreen, 53, was cited for failure to secure a load after it was determined that he owned the mattress that fell on to I-15 in Box Elder County and caused a fatal accident, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

Royce Munns, 46, of Brigham City, was killed in the crash. Munns was traveling south on I-15 around 10:45 p.m. Monday when he hit a mattress in the road and crashed. The man was not wearing a helmet, the UHP reported.

A medical helicopter responded to the scene, but Munns was pronounced dead before he could be transported.

Holgreen apparently heard of the crash in the media and contacted the UHP. After interviewing Holgreen, the UHP determined he was the owner of the mattress involved in the crash.

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A 46-year-old motorcyclist from Brigham City was killed Monday night when he crashed after hitting a mattress that was discarded on I-15. The accident marked the eighth motorcycle fatality in Utah this year, compared to five during the same period last year, according to the Utah Highway Safety Office.

Holgreen told KSL that there was possibility the mattress was his, though UHP is still investigating. he said that he had been helping a couple in Layton move a mattress and only noticed it was missing after arriving in Layton. He said that he drove back to Wellsville Tuesday morning to look for the mattress after hearing media reports about the motorcycle crash. He called UHP after he couldn't find it.

He called the whole thing a "bad dream" and said if the mattress is his that "heartfelt sorrow goes out to the victim's family, and I feel terribly."

Contributing: Peter Samore

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