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LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON — A Snowbird employee died Monday after he was rescued from Little Cottonwood Creek following an apparent all-terrain vehicle accident.
About 11:15 a.m., Snowbird employees looking for a maintenance worker spotted his side-by-side utility vehicle in the creek on its hood, said Unified police detective Ken Hansen. The worker had been missing for somewhere between 45 minutes and two hours.
About 50 yards down the swiftly flowing water, the employee was spotted caught on a rock, he said.
Crews performed CPR on 21-year-old David Pepper. Ski patrol members and Unified Fire Authority's swift water rescue team helped carry Pepper back to the parking lot at Entry 2.
Pepper was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.
Investigators believe the vehicle tumbled 30 to 35 yards off the flat parking lot into the creek, Hansen said. It was unknown Monday why the vehicle went over the side.
Pepper has been at Snowbird for two years and worked as a lift operator in the winter, Hansen said.
“The Snowbird family is heartbroken at the passing of one of our fellow employees today,” said Snowbird President Bob Bonar. “We extend our condolences to his family as well as his many friends here at Snowbird.”
Contributing: Nicole Vowell
