Cedar City man who died in construction accident was 'excited to be a dad'

CEDAR CITY — A young wife and soon-to-be mother is grieving the loss of her husband after a construction accident took his life Monday.

Truman Yardley, 24, of Cedar City, died after being struck and pinned by a dump truck at the Sonrise Christian Church job site just west of Cedar City Tuesday morning. Family members, including his wife of one year, Lexi Yardley, described him as selfless and full of life.

"He was just the most selfless man you'd ever met and always working hard," Lexi Yardley told KSL during a phone interview on Wednesday. "His biggest struggle was just time; he just wanted to help everybody that he possibly could, and he had so many talents that he was trying to juggle between everything."

One of those talents was being the lead singer in a band, Lexi Yardley said, adding that he also did sound and lighting at a weekly event for college students in Cedar City called Sokhop.

"The band is called 'Aquamarine,' and he did that a lot in high school," she said. "It's slowed down a lot, but he was picking up more gigs lately."

The couple married in June of 2025 after nearly a yearlong courtship. Lexi is from St. George and Truman is from Enterprise, which is west of Cedar City.

"Nobody loved me more perfectly than he did," Lexi Yardley said. "He showed me exactly how I should be treated and how our daughter should be treated."

The two are expecting a daughter in just a couple of weeks, and Lexi said Truman was "just so excited" to be a dad.

"We found out (we were expecting a baby) before we left on our anniversary trip, and we were just so excited," she said. "We got to go on a cruise and just have a moment where just the two of us knew. He was just so excited to be a dad."

Truman's sister-in-law, Alyssa Yardley, said she's known him since they were teenagers, adding that she has seen over the years the special relationship her husband, Austin Yardley, had with his brother.

"He and my husband were best friends," she said. "If you got to see them together, they just acted like little 14-year-olds all over again. My husband just has so many good memories with him. .... They always were together, just trying to make sure everybody was having fun and everyone was laughing."

At the time of his death, Truman was working as foreman on a project that his wife said he was really excited about.

"It's kind of been his baby," she said. "He's been fully in charge of running that."

The sheriff's office is calling what happened to Truman on his job site a "tragic accident," and no charges have been filed.

Friends and family have set up a GoFundMe* to assist with funeral costs.

"I'm just really grateful for all the people that have jumped in and helped and already supported me so much," Lexi said. "It would mean the world to Truman to have this much love and support around me in this little baby girl."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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