Unexplained death discovered on trucking company property raises hazmat concerns

A man found dead on a Utah trucking company’s property has raised hazmat concerns as the man’s death continues to go unexplained. 

The man was found dead on June 5th at TDC Trucking in Lake Point, Utah at the intersection of State Route 201 and Interstate 80. 

According to KSL TV5, someone at the trucking company initially called 911 to report the discovery of a family member dead on the ground when they arrived at the property to pick them up from work. The caller started CPR while on the phone, and emergency responders took over lifesaving measures when they arrived, but were unable to revive the person. Officials called it an “all hands on deck moment.”

“The nature of the fatality is still under investigation. It is potentially a hazmat situation just because of all the chemicals surrounding the site where the incident occurred,” said North Tooele Fire public information officer Jon Smith. First responders are still “treating it as a worst possible scenario,” because the trucking company takes chemicals off of trains and converts the chemicals. 

“Anytime you’re dealing with a volatile chemical, you don’t know whether it’s solid, gas, liquid. You don’t know if it’s combustible, not combustible,” Smith said. “And we’re dealing with a lot of dry vegetation, on a very hot day. There could also be a potential for wildfire, if not handled appropriately.

Officials believe that there is no danger to the public, but the cause of the man’s death is still unknown. The 911 call originally reported the death as a cardiac arrest. No further information has been released.