Calvin Kunz, 77, of Preston, died Saturday afternoon while hiking in the Franklin Basin area. He was attempting to cross a river when he fell and struck his head, said Cache County sheriff’s Lt. Mikelshan Bartschi
Kunz was hiking with family from Tony’s Grove to Franklin Basin. Known in his neighborhood for keeping the roadside clean of trash, Kunz did the same as he hiked and had collected some garbage that had been left behind by other hikers.
Witnesses told deputies that Kunz attempted to pass some of the garbage to another person while crossing a river. In doing so, he lost his balance, fell back and struck his head. The impact knocked him unconscious.
Kunz was retrieved from the river and CPR started when an off-duty Roy police officer and his wife, who also had emergency medical training, came by and attempted to revive Kunz.
A local physician also arrived on the scene after the incident and used his satellite phone to call 911 at 4 p.m., said Bartschi. Despite their efforts, Kunz never regained consciousness.
Bartschi said the sheriff’s office wished to share their condolences with the family and all those involved in the accident.
