Jury Awards Families $2.4M in Lawsuit Over Utah Couple’s Kayaking Death

July 25, 2014

A jury has faulted state and local agencies in the 2010 deaths of a Utah married couple kayaking in the Jordan River.

Family members of Kelly Frye-Glasser and Joseph Glasser on Tuesday won their case arguing that officials were aware of the deceptively swift waterfall. They say overgrown weeds obscured warning signs.

The jury on Tuesday awarded a $2.4 million verdict to the family. It found Murray City, which owns the bridge over the fall and concrete underneath, to be 50 percent responsible for the deaths.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Murray, Salt Lake County, two state agencies and two contractors had already settled for a total of $1.25 million.

Officials said the couple was wearing floatation devices when they were pulled under water by an undercurrent.