Life Flight paramedic killed, nurse seriously injured in US 40 crash


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HEBER CITY — An Intermountain Life Flight paramedic was killed and a Life Flight nurse is in serious condition after a crash involving three vehicles on U.S. Highway 40 near Strawberry Reservoir Sunday morning, Intermountain Medical Center officials said.

Intermountain spokesman Jess Gomez said Tyson Mason, 29, of Plain City, was killed in the crash. The nurse, whose name and age were not immediately released, was airlifted to Intermountain Medical Center.

Mason worked at Life Flight for about 2 1/2 years.

"This is a tragedy to lose a member of the Intermountain Health Care and Life Flight family," Gomez said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and colleagues for this devastating loss."

Mason was also a firefighter and paramedic for the Salt Lake City Fire Department. A statement issued late Sunday from that agency praised him as "a young, professional firefighter and a talented paramedic."

The statement went on to describe Mason as "a devoted husband, who just became a father for the first time, only one week ago. He was respected by his brothers and sisters in the fire service and will be sorely missed.”

Gomez said the two were returning to Salt Lake City from Uintah Basin Medical Center in Roosevelt after completing a shift at the Life Flight base there. Both had been working in Roosevelt for several days.

Emergency crews responded to a report of the crash just after 9:45 a.m., according to Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden.

Roden said a tan Chevy Impala and a gray Dodge pickup truck were traveling eastbound on the road near mile marker 43. The pickup attempted to pass the Impala when the Impala sideswiped the truck, which forced the truck into the westbound lane.

At the same time, Mason and the nurse were in a Subaru passenger car traveling in the westbound lane. The pickup collided with the Subaru, which Mason was driving, head-on. Mason was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gomez said he could not disclose the nurse's injuries, but said they were doing "relatively OK."

The crash remains under investigation.

Photo of the vehicle Tyson Mason, 29, was driving when it was hit head-on by a pickup truck along U.S. Highway 40 near Strawberry Reservoir Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Mason died in the accident. (Photo: Utah Highway Patrol)
Photo of the vehicle Tyson Mason, 29, was driving when it was hit head-on by a pickup truck along U.S. Highway 40 near Strawberry Reservoir Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Mason died in the accident. (Photo: Utah Highway Patrol)

Intermountain learned that its employees were involved in the crash after Life Flight was called in to assist in transporting the nurse to the hospital.

"As you could imagine, it was a shock to find two members of the team — their colleagues, their family members so to speak — were involved in that serious car accident," he said. "However, being the professionals that they are, they did everything they needed to do — as they would in any case — to return to Salt Lake with the patient."

Counselors were being made available for Intermountain employees. In addition, Life Flight will "stand down" for the next 24 hours per protocol and as a sign of respect, Gomez said.

Other agencies will cover any medical transportation assignments during that time.

"The decision was made to address the emotional and operational issues related to Life Flight to give our employees a chance to come together and to mourn the loss of one of their colleagues and to share concern for their hospitalized colleague," Gomez said.

The crash closed U.S. 40 in both directions for several hours as crews cleaned up the scene, but the road reopened shortly after 2 p.m., according to Utah Department of Transportation officials.

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