The family of 50-year-old Kenneth Pollock, who drowned in the Provo River in Utah while kayaking in 2018, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against entities of the state of Utah for contributing to the man’s death. According to the suit, the Heber Valley Railroad Foundation, along with several others, failed to take necessary precautions that would have made the river less hazardous and may have prevented Pollock’s untimely passing.
The Pollock family was on vacation in the summer of 2018, when Kenneth Pollock went kayaking in the Provo River. He was dragged underwater at the Heber Valley Railroad Bridge, an area that the suit states is unnecessarily dangerous. Both the owners of the bridge and the state of Utah should have done their part to ensure the bridge was safe, or at least to warn passersby of the potential danger. In fact, many people have complained about the hazards the bridge presented to that part of the river.
Due to the dangerous nature of the bridge, Pollock was pulled underwater while kayaking on the river and ultimately drowned. According to the lawsuit, Pollock experienced pain before he died and suffered while drowning. Attorney Eric Olson, a partner at Cutt, Kendell & Olson, is representing Kenneth Pollock’s family as they pursue compensation for damages from the liable parties.
In his own words, Attorney Eric Olson says, "We believe that the owners of the bridge and the owners of the river bed knew about this area having potential problems.” The wrongful death lawsuit accuses all of the following entities of failing to make the bridge area safe: the Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Utah Division of Water Resources.
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The seasoned attorneys at Cutt, Kendell & Olson have handled several drowning cases over the years, many of which involved similar situations and man-made hazards. If you were harmed because of a similar act of negligence, or if someone you know perished because of an unnecessarily dangerous water hazard, our firm is here to help.
Contact Cutt, Kendell & Olsonto discuss your case with our Salt Lake City wrongful death lawyers. Be sure to ask about our free consultations.