Peyton Hall: Utah college student, 18, falls 55ft to death from balcony of building as pals watch in horror
ST GEORGE, UTAH: A Utah Tech University student died after falling from on-campus apartment building at around 2.30 am on Sunday, December 4. Peyton Hall, 18, was in Campus View Suites II with friends and roommates when he fell 55 feet from the balcony, invoking the students to dial 911.
Hall died on the spot after first responders in St George, Utah, were unable to revive him. The 18-year-old's death was described as a "tragic accident" by interim police chief Ron Bridge, and no other circumstances are thought to have been involved, The Sun reported. According to KSLTV, other students heard or saw the mishap as Hall fell into the horseshoe-shaped building's central courtyard.
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The Interim police chief Bridge claims that an officer arrived at the scene immediately. As cited by The Sun, the chief said, "As the student fell from the fifth story on the inside of the horseshoe, one of Utah Tech Police Department officers was actually on the south side, or the open side of the horseshoe, and quickly responded around to the other side of the building." He added, "He was there very, very quickly." Jordon Sharpe, vice president of marketing and communications at Utah Tech, released a statement on Sunday afternoon in which he expressed his admiration for Peyton from South Jordan. Sharpe stated, "Peyton was an involved and loved student in good academic standing at Utah Tech University, and our sincere condolences go out to his family, friends, and loved ones during this tragic time."
Sharpe also brought up the mental health treatments that were made available following the disaster. He stated, "The family was contacted and Utah Tech officials worked with the Southwest Behavioral Health Center mobile crisis team who arrived on the scene in the early morning to provide mental health support to students and others involved," as per The Sun. Ali Threet, the assistant vice president for student affairs at Utah Tech University and the dean of students, claimed Hall was involved on campus. Speaking to KSLTV, Threet said, "He did have those good connections with friends and roommates and several instances of seeing his academic advisor and seeing his peer coach." "I definitely think that it will affect a large amount of the students in some capacity, but that’s why we want to make sure that all of the students know that the faculty and staff are here for them, that we have our counseling staff on call and ready to meet with students."
The Campus View Suites II dormitories contained six-room units with communal living and cooking areas. Hall's friends and roommates who were with him when he collapsed, and according to Threet, a mobile crisis team was called and stayed at the dorm building all day.
'A real friend'
A dearest friend of Hall who is shaken by his tragic death shared heartfelt post on social media. Carolann Samami wrote on Facebook, "Oh Peyton Hall my heart hurts knowing your not here anymore From nursey all the way to being adults , you always such a real friend. From late night gossip talks on FaceTime to stirring things up in the Bingham parking lot and pissing kids off, I’ll miss it all Rest in Eternal Peace Buddy." A political candidate Neil Walter for UT House District 74 shared his conolences to Hall's family. He wrote, "So sorry to hear about the tragic fall of student Peyton Hall at Utah Tech University today. We are praying for the Hall family and Peyton’s friends."
Before Hall went to college, he was a student at Bingham high school where he was part of a wrestling program. ABC 4 Utah spoke to one of Hall's former high school wrestling teammates who says he was the kind of guy who everybody wants to be around. The friend Selvage Stowell described him "as full of life. He's always just like really energetic, He was such a good friend." He says he hasn't fully processed his friend's death.