The 35-year-old woman and her friend were riding a Polaris Ranger in the Tibble Fork section of the canyon when they hit a bump and slammed into a dead tree about 2:15 p.m., said Utah County sheriff's Deputy Collin Gordon.
The injured woman was the passenger in the side-by-side seat on the ATV.
The tree branch, which was about 2 inches in diameter, stabbed a 3-inch wound in the lower-right section of the woman's abdomen, Gordon said. She was able to communicate when rescue workers arrived at the scene, but was flown by helicopter to a Salt Lake County hospital where she was hospitalized for her injuries, he said.
"Based on the information I have, they were serious injuries and she was in critical condition," said Gordon.
The woman's identity and an updated condition were not immediately available on Friday evening.
Gordon said the incident appears to be a "freak accident" and that the driver of the ATV is not at fault.
-The Salt Lake Tribune
