A 79-year-old Powell man died Monday after suffering a medical emergency and crashing on West Coulter Avenue.

The Park County Coroner identified the deceased as Jimmy “Jim” Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was traveling east on Coulter when his 1997 GMC Sonoma ran into the back of a City of Powell street sweeper in the outside lane and shoulder, said Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Lee Pence. The collision occurred around 6:30 a.m., near the intersection with Division Street.

First responders “immediately” began life-saving measures, Pence said, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

“It is believed he suffered a medical emergency prior to the crash and passed away,” Pence said; an obituary composed by Rodriguez’s family said he suffered a “heart event.”

An official cause of death had not been determined as of Wednesday, said Coroner Cody Gortmaker, with it unclear “whether the death caused the crash or the crash caused the death.”

Rodriguez was a lifelong Powell resident who served in the National Guard before starting a career in farming. He was a member of the Elks and Eagles fraternal organizations and spent time on the Shoshone Irrigation District board.

“He was always willing to help and serve his community,” says a portion of Rodriguez’s obituary, which appears on Page 3.

A rosary will be recited at 5 p.m. today (Thursday) with Mass celebrated at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Barbara’s Catholic Church.

The driver of the street sweeper was not injured in Monday’s crash and the city expects to be able to repair the vehicle.