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Utah father dies after dirt bike accident near Eagle Mountain

Posted at 9:08 PM, Apr 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-03 12:12:46-04

MURRAY, Utah – A father of six has died days after a serious dirt bike accident near Eagle Mountain.

He was recovering in intensive care since the accident Sunday and died Monday, according to his family.


Matthew Ballard was dirt biking with his friend, Eric, near a rock quarry at the FiveMile Pass Recreation Area.

Eric reached a point where his bike became stuck.

“Matt decided he wanted to come get me or show me how to do it right,” Eric said. “Things happened so fast. He ended up hitting the wrong rock and he went over the edge and fell.”

Matthew fell on huge boulders. Eric says he had to act fast to get help to his friend.

“My first response was, 'get back on your bike, and instead of making it to the top, you got to go back down and get to him,'” Eric said.

When he reached Matthew, he found him conscious and in tremendous pain.

“Where we were, after I made sure he was OK, I had to leave him to call for help,” Eric said. “I climbed back up to him and stayed with him until they got there.”

LifeFlight took Matthew to Intermountain Hospital in Murray with several serious injuries.

“He’s got a lot of surgeries,” Stephanie Ballard said, Matthew’s wife. “He’s got plastic surgery. He’s not in the safe zone yet.”

Matthew suffered a bruise to his heart, injuries to his kidney and spleen and serious cuts in several places.

Stephanie says Matthew doesn’t have health insurance and the medical bills will be a huge burden on their family.

“Matt’s going to kill me that I put it on Facebook, but we need lots of help,” she said through tears.

Stephanie and Eric say Matthew is the first to help those in need. Now, he needs the community’s help.

“He's willing to go help everyone which is why everyone likes him, but he doesn't like to accept help from other people,” Eric said.

As Matthew recovers, his family is thankful he is alive and didn’t sustain any injuries to his brain or spine.

Stephanie says doctors told her that most people don’t survive falls that are more than 35 feet. Matthew’s was more than twice that distance.

“It’s a big miracle he’s alive,” Stephanie said.

The family has a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses.