The owner of a Utah sign company was killed Friday morning while working from a cherry picker crane in Bountiful. Richard Gillies, 66, of Gillies Signs & Design Inc., was replacing a sign at an out-of-business Blockbuster store when the truck-mounted crane apparently malfunctioned, according to Assistant Bountiful Police Chief Ed Biehler.
According to police, Gillies was in the bucket of the crane when the problem occurred. When his son, attempted to maneuver the crane from below, there was an additional malfunction which pressed Gillies up against an overhanging facade and then flung him forward toward the building. He fell from the bucket to the ground 10 to 15 feet below.
Other workers inside the building, which is being turned into a fitness club, performed CPR on the victim until emergency personnel arrived.
Gillies was flown to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were investigating the accident, and members of the state medical examiner’s office also were at the scene.
According to his company website, Richard Gillies has been in the sign business for over 35 years. The Gillies family has set up this donation/fund to help offset some of the unexpected medical and funeral expenses. Your support is greatly appreciated.
DONATE TO THE GILLIES MEMORIAL FUND http://fundly.com/richard-gillies-memorial-donations