Construction scaffolding plank kills woman at Salt Lake festival

A 23-year-old woman who was sheltering from a severe storm outside a Salt Lake City music festival died after being struck by a plank of scaffolding that fell from a nearby construction site, her family and police said. The incident occurred Saturday evening near the Utah State Fairpark, at about 5:15 p.m., as festivalgoers were evacuating the RedWest event because of high winds and heavy rain.

Salt Lake City Police said the victim, identified by her family as Ava Ahlander, had gone to her car parked near 1055 West North Temple to ride out the storm. Officers said Ahlander stepped out of the vehicle when a plank from scaffolding at a neighboring construction site blew free in strong gusts and fell from roughly 30 feet, striking her and landing on the car. Paramedics responded and transported her to a hospital in critical condition. Her family later confirmed she had died and that her organs were donated.

Salt Lake Police Lt. Leigh Willis said a strong wind burst likely caused the scaffolding to collapse. The National Weather Service had issued a high wind warning for the area, forecasting gusts up to 60 miles per hour as a cold front moved through the Wasatch Front. Festival...