Troopers Death Ruled Accidental

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Created on Monday, 28 March 2016 20:51

Written by Alexa Richard

AROUND THE NEK- The Vermont Department of Public Safety has announced they will not be cited for any workplace safety violation following the death of a Vermont State trooper.

Last September, Trooper Kyle Young collapsed at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho during the tryouts for the state police tactical team. The 28 year old subsequently died of heatstroke. The incident was under investigation by the state.

"As part of its review, the Department consulted with two highly regarded independant experts, Dr. Suzanne Elliot and Denise Alosa, both long time medical tteam directors for the Vermont City Marathon," the Department of Public Safety/VOSHA Agreement statement said. "They have written publications related to heat prevention/treatmentprotocols and have treated multiple Exertional Heat Stroke (EHS) cases. They have trained many EMS and medical providers on how to recognize and treat EHS."

The training was physically demanding, but Young was advised about the difficulty of the course. Young was in top physical condition and his time for the training was 10 minutes ahead of the other participants.

Young was ask multiple times if he was experiencing medical issues, but did not respond. After Young collapsed, CPR was administered.

Young was taken to UVM Medical Center where his death was determined to be accidental.

The trooper’s death was investigated by the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration. VOSHA identified two potential violations, which were not having ice packs on the scene, and there was also not a respiratory protection program in place, but the investigator did not attribute Trooper Young’s death to the violations. 

"The heart of the negotiations was to engage in a meaningful and constructive process with Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration to ensure the safety of our memebers," the Department of Public Safety/VOSHA Agreement Statement said. "VOSHA acknowledged the Department's commitment to improving its training and physical testing protocols to better protect its memebers."

The report also credits public safety for its “good faith commitment to improving its training and physical testing protocols to better protect its members.”

Trooper Young was a father of two, and served terms in Iraq and Afghanistan in the United States Air Force.