Rescuers lower injured hiker from steep hillside after fall

Written by Jeff Richards
August 24, 2020

ST. GEORGE — A man who fell while hiking by a steep cliff near St. George Monday afternoon was extricated by rescue personnel and taken to the hospital.

Scene of a technical rescue of an injured hiker by emergency personnel, St. George, Utah, Aug. 24, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

The incident reportedly happened shortly after noon near a red rock sandstone cliff just north of 670 N. 400 West.

The man, who may have fallen as far as 40 feet, sustained a lower leg injury that rendered him unable to walk, St. George Fire Capt. Josh Christiansen told St. George News at the scene. 

Rescue personnel with the St. George Fire Department and Washington County Search and Rescue team rigged a multi-rope system that stretched about 300 feet from the bottom of the steep hillside to the base of the cliffs above, Christiansen said.

Once the patient had been stabilized and securely strapped in a Stokes basket, rescuers lowered him down the hill using the technical rope system. 

The man, who also reportedly sustained a head laceration, was then loaded into a Gold Cross Ambulance and transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center for treatment. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, authorities said.

Although the man had been hiking alone at the time of his fall, he was able to summon help via his cell phone, his wife told St. George News at the scene. 

The entire operation took around one hour from the time rescuers first arrived and began hiking up to the man until the ambulance left the scene with the patient.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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