Shortly after 11am this morning, a tragic accident occurred on the west side loading dock of University of Utah Hospital, just north of the School of Medicine.
The incident took place externally from the building when an MRI fell while being relocated from the 4th floor to the 1st floor of the hospital.
An employee with the company that was contracted to move the device fell alongside the MRI. A rapid response team transferred the patient to University of Utah Hospital's Emergency Department where the patient later passed away. Another contracted employee suffered a minor injury in the incident.
"This was meant to be a milestone occasion for our team, and something that has been in the works for several years. We are incredibly saddened to learn that someone tragically died in this incident and our hearts go out to the family. We will work all parties involved to understand what happened and identify the root cause, but our immediate concern is supporting all those affected," says Alison Flynn Gaffney, executive director of University Hospital service lines and system planning.