Rescue Operation After Fall in Moab Canyon
Rescuers helped a parent who fell from a 70-foot cliff in the Pritchett Canyon area of Moab, Utah, while on a family vacation.
According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team, the incident occurred on April 10 during a family trip. The family, consisting of two parents and their two children, went to Moab for spring break and decided to explore the canyon.
The sheriff’s team noted that while only five miles from Moab, the steep and winding road can make the drive last almost three hours. While they were out exploring, the family split into two groups but aimed to get a better view of Cummings Arch. Unfortunately, one of the adults reached too close to the cliff edge and fell. No one else in the family saw the fall, but one child heard the screams and rushed down the trail to inform the other parent about the situation.
The fallen parent suffered serious injuries, and the other adult was injured as well. They managed to use the satellite feature on their iPhone to call for help and text 911.
Details on which parent fell remain unclear.
Responders from the Grand County Special District and Emergency Services, including a helicopter due to the seriousness of the injuries, were called to the scene. The helicopter arrived within five minutes and was able to land about 150 yards away from the injured individual.
The rescue posed a logistical challenge. Ground teams were informed that the area was steep and treacherous. Technical rope rescue equipment was necessary to assist in reaching the injured party.
Medical personnel had to navigate across shallow water to the location where the parent was trapped in a sandstone canyon, just above a drywash bed featuring an 8- to 10-foot high dryfall. The estimated fall distance was between 70 to 80 feet, with an additional 50-foot bounce on loose rocks, indicating it was a complex rescue operation.
The helicopter, identified as Intermountain 20, made multiple trips to transport personnel and equipment necessary for attending to the severely injured parent. An emergency stretcher was eventually used, allowing first responders to successfully retrieve the individual. The entire rescue took about three hours, which the sheriff’s team noted would have taken 10 to 12 hours without the helicopter.
The injured parent is currently reported to be in serious condition.
Interestingly, first responders mentioned that no one saw the actual fall. They described the cliff’s edge as “deceptive,” noting how it quickly steepened, making it difficult to gauge the dangers.
