A truck driver was killed Wednesday morning after his rig rolled off a freeway onramp and into a canal, leaving him trapped under water.
Killed was:
Solomone Ngata, 45, Salt Lake City.
Ngata had worked at Metro Waste for about two years, company owner Dick Chatterton said. The company has been in business for three and half years, delivering waste containers to construction sites.
"We're close with all our drivers," said Chatterton's son, Kelly. "We still consider ourselves a small business."
The company has 35 drivers and 100 employees.
Dick Chatterton and sons Kelly and Brad were on the scene Wednesday morning. The men spoke emotionally about Ngata, who Kelly Chatterton described as "one of the gentlest giants you'll ever meet."
At about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, two large tow trucks removed the muddy and mangled truck from the canal. Ngata's body was transported to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy.
Investigators are still uncertain if he died from injuries sustained in the accident or if he drowned when he was trapped inside the cab under water with his seat belt still on, said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Phil Waters.
Two witnesses saw the truck roll as it made the 360-degree loop on the ramp from I-215 south to I-80 east.
The 9:38 a.m. accident happened on Salt Lake's west side just south of I-80 near Salt Lake City International Airport. About 40 gallons of fuel leaked from the truck into the canal, and Salt Lake City hazardous material crews were called in to clean up the spill. The canal was blocked off to keep the fuel from spreading.
Waters said the two witnesses approached the truck and found the driver trapped under water.
Three airport police officers were the first on the scene. They waded into the water to attempt to rescue the man, Waters said.
Efforts to save the man were in vain. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver was apparently heading back after making a delivery and had no load on the back of his truck.
Metro Waste has a recycling center nearby at 3550 W. 500 South. The center receives about 25 million pounds of construction waste a month and is the only such recycling center in the western United States, Brad Chatterton said.
The accident is the first fatality in Metro Waste's history, the Chattertons said.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Authorities are trying to determine how the driver lost control, sending his truck off the road and rolling one and a half times before coming to rest on the driver's side in the bottom of the canal.
The ramp from I-215 south to I-80 east was closed following the accident as dozens of police, fire, medical and transportation officials responded to the scene.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com