Utah avalanche kills father of six

OAKLEY, Utah, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- A father of six was killed in a 400-foot-wide avalanche in Summit County, Utah, the second victim of a local avalanche this week.

Bishop Howard Sorensen, a local religious leader, said Dave Balls, 53, was snowmobiling with his four sons when he was unable to avoid the avalanche and was lost in a wave of snow, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Wednesday.

"He was up enjoying the day when the slide broke loose," Sorensen said of accident Tuesday. "He just wasn't able to out run (it)."

Along with his four sons, who managed to avoid the avalanche, Balls had two adopted daughters from Russia, the Tribune said.

The newspaper said that Balls' death came in the wake of last weekend's avalanche in Summit County that claimed the life of 30-year-old Colorado native Jesse R. Williams. In addition to killing Williams, Sunday's avalanche at the Canyons ski resort also critically injured an 11-year-old boy.