‘Nothing but humble’: Family remembers man killed in Bluffdale industrial incident
Apr 30, 2024, 11:04 PM | Updated: May 1, 2024, 12:35 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a 43-year-old man killed in an industrial accident in Bluffdale is speaking publicly for the first time.
The victim of the April 25 incident in Bluffdale was identified as 43-year-old Saulisi “Sau” Mahe, of West Valley City.
“You would find Sau on the grill, making food,” said family member Salevalasi Fonotisatele.
Some of the Mahe family’s favorite memories were made around their kitchen table with their husband and father, Sau Mahe.
“He was nothing but humble and always had a service mentality,” said Fonotisatele of Mahe.
But now Saulisi Mahe’s wife, Leilani Mahe, is clinging to a picture of her wedding day.
“The presence and the shoes that he has left are just really hard to fill,” said Fonotisatele.
Last Thursday, Sau Mahe went to work at Olympus Precast in Bluffdale. Sau was a commercial truck driver for the company, according to Fonotisatele.
“When tragedy strikes, when these things happen, everything starts off as a normal day,” Fonotisatele said.
According to Bluffdale Fire Chief Matt Evans, firefighters were called to 16120 S. Pony Express Road where Mahe was pinned between two concrete slabs that fell off his truck.
“He was hooking up his truck and (getting) ready to start making a delivery,” Evans said in an interview on April 25. “We don’t exactly know what happened, we believe he was securing his load… when those walls fell over.”
“These are those big concrete slabs, they weigh about 3,500 pounds apiece,” Evans said. “We don’t know why they fell or what caused them to fall but he happened to be pinned between two of them.”
The incident is now under investigation by police in Bluffdale and the Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division.
UOSH could provide no information beyond confirming their involvement in the investigation, due to it being an active investigation, according to a spokesperson.
“I guess the unfortunate part is that there’s not really much that we know,” said Fonotisatele. “The first thing that we are focused on is making sure that Leilani and her kids feel our love.”
Sau Mahe leaves behind his wife and their six children. As they struggle to make sense of this tragedy, they’re focused on his legacy of love and service.
“He loved Lani, loved these kids and worked extremely hard for them and sacrificed a lot to make sure that him and his family had what they needed,” Fonotisatele said.
KSL TV reached out to Olympus Precast for commentary but did not receive an immediate response.
A GoFundMe* is available to help with funeral expenses and Mahe’s six children as he was the family’s main breadwinner.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
