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Parents Sue Salt Lake City Over Son's Death After Climbing Into Delta Jet Engine at SLC

The newly filed suit contends security lapses turned a visible mental‑health crisis into a preventable fatality.

Overview

  • Judd and Lisa Efinger filed a negligence lawsuit against Salt Lake City seeking damages exceeding $300,000 and a jury trial.
  • The complaint says Kyler Efinger, 30, passed through two emergency exits allegedly lacking proper delayed‑egress locks and walked nearly a mile to a de‑icing area.
  • The filing alleges city personnel failed to monitor cameras and struggled to locate him, with dispatch confusion sending officers to the wrong places.
  • Pilots and air traffic control were allegedly not warned in time, and although a pilot cut power after spotting him, court papers say fatal blunt head trauma had already occurred.
  • The suit also claims an officer handcuffed Efinger after he was pulled from the engine before resuscitation attempts, while the city declined detailed comment citing pending litigation.