Ren Hatt, the mayor of Green River, died in a car accident Friday night on U.S. 6.
“Our community is heartbroken today,” the city posted Saturday on its Facebook page.
According to a news release from the Utah Highway Patrol, Hatt was headed east on U.S. 6 about eight miles west of Green river, when a westbound semitrailer truck drifted into oncoming traffic.
The semitruck collided with the Hyundai Palisade that Hatt was driving, killing him, UHP said. The semitruck driver was not injured, according to the release.
Officials said they were not sure what caused the semitruck driver to drift into Hatt’s lane, but the release said they do not suspect that the driver was impaired.
Hatt, 40, recently won reelection to lead Green River for a second term. He grew up in the rural, southeast Utah town, which is known for its melons and the river that flows under its Main Street.
Hatt graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 2014, and worked as a policy specialist for Tennessee’s Medicaid office in Nashville for a stint.
He was drawn back to his family and roots in Green River, though, and ran to lead the city in 2021, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Rey Lloyd Hatt, who had served 18 years as the town’s mayor.
Hatt also taught at Green River High School, and was often writing grants to find funding for his small city.
“We’re constantly adapting,” he said on a panel at Harvard University in June. “The great thing about small towns is that we never have enough money, so we innovate —public-private partnerships and nonprofit collaborations … are some tools in our toolkit.”
Hatt sought to make Green River government accessible to the town’s people. He held regular office hours at city hall, where community members could pop by and meet with him.
“Mayor Hatt loved this community deeply, and he served it with honesty, kindness, and unwavering commitment,” the town said on Facebook. “We are grieving alongside his family, friends, and all who knew him.”
This is a developing story.