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Widow of fallen Utah flight paramedic: ‘He was the best daddy’

Tyson Mason, 29, was killed after a truck crashed head-on into his vehicle; he leaves behind his one-week-old son

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Tyson Mason.

Photo/Salt Lake City Fire Department

By EMS1 Staff

WASATCH COUNTY, Utah — In the wake of a flight paramedic’s unexpected death, friends, family and colleagues recalled his passion to serve and love for his family.

Tyson Mason, 29, was killed after a truck crashed head-on into his vehicle Sunday. A nurse who was also in the vehicle was critically injured in the crash; the two were returning home from a shift. The nurse said Mason swerved his vehicle to take the brunt of the impact, reported the Standard Examiner.

“Tyson was the epitome of a good guy,” Sean Harwood, Mason’s father-in-law, said. “That’s what he lived for, to help people.”

Mason worked for the Salt Lake City Fire Department and previously served with the Ogden Fire Department; he also worked with Intermountain Healthcare Life Flight as a paramedic.

He leaves behind his wife, Haileigh, and their one-week old son, Lukas.

“It’s kind of crazy, we just brought our baby home [last] Wednesday,” Haileigh said. “No timing is good, but he didn’t get enough time at home for sure ... He was a wonderful man and the light of my life. He was the best daddy in just one week.”

Friends, family and colleagues set up a scholarship fund for Mason’s son; a GoFundMe page has also been creased.

Memorial services will be held Saturday.