Man dead, another seriously injured after roof collapse in Taylorsville

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah – The 9-1-1 call came in at 2:11p.m. Wednesday. A man was heard screaming at a home on 4700 South west of Redwood Road.

When a Unified Fire heavy rescue crew got on scene a couple minutes later, they figured out why: two men were trapped after the roof of the shed they were working in out back collapsed on them.

Unified Fire spokesman Matthew McFarland is grateful neighbors called when they did.

“The one victim that was transported [to the hospital], was lucky [the heavy rescue crew] was in very close proximity. The first crew was here in three minutes,” McFarland says.

That may have saved the man’s life, as the crew was able to keep talking to him and eventually get him out of the shed.

Firefighters were never able to communicate with the other man, though it’s unclear when he died.

Investigators are trying to figure out what caused the roof to collapse.

“It appeared to be in some sort of construction, and there was a heavy load of snow on top of [the shed], which may have come into play with the support of it being compromised. At this point in time, we don’t know if it was being built [or] being refurbished,” McFarland says.