STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Wood River Valley residents are being encouraged to reach out to a variety of resources around the community following the death of a man outside the Limelight Hotel.
Blaine County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an unconscious man on the sidewalk adjacent to Main Street at about 8:49 p.m. Monday night.
Life saving measures were started and the 41-year-old resident of Ketchum was transported by ambulance to Wood River Medical Center. But he did not survive his injuries.
Foul play is not suspected, said Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis.
The man was identified as Eric Hagfors.He is believed to have fallen out of a window on the third floor.
The Limelight Hotel brought in counselors immediately to pull people aside, perform assessments and offer one-on-one assistance to employees, said Tammy Davis, the executive director of the Crisis Hotline.
“That’s pretty standard. Once the initial assessment and follow-up is provided, we’ll be part of this, providing local support in the days and weeks to come,” she said. “This is going to affect the entire community.”
Ketchum Police Chief Jamie Shaw said his department is encouraging people to seek assistance from multiple resources in the community, including the Crisis Hotline, 5B Suicide Alliance St. Luke ‘s Center for Community Health and NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) Wood River Chapter.
“And you can text 988,” he added.
The Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley also offers grief support groups.
“We already had some educational workshop planned when this happened,” Davis said. “We also encourage people to go to our website (https://thecrisishotline.org/) where we have posted the signs of emotional distress.”
The local 24-7 hotline is 208-788-3596 for English speakers and 208-578-4114 for Spanish speakers.