This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Colorado Springs man died and his brother was stranded for days after a rapelling accident at No Man's Canyon near Hanksville.
Louis Cicotello, 70, died from his injuries. His 57-year-old brother, David Cicotello, of Tennessee, was stranded on a ledge for at least three days after his brother fell. The two brothers had not contacted their family during their weeklong trip, and a concerned family member called search-and-rescue Friday. Crews of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office and the Wayne County Search and Rescue team set out at 4:30 p.m. Friday, assisted by a helicopter from the Utah Highway Patrol. They combed the area for the men, but stopped after dark. The search resumed early Saturday. At 11 a.m., crews found the two men.
David Cicotello, who had no way to get down from the ledge, was taken via helicopter to Moab Hospital for medical evaluation. He had run out of water but was in "very good condition, considering the situation," said Tal Ehlers, of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
"We so completely appreciated having a helicopter in the area because there is zero radio communication in those slot canyons," Ehler said. "[David Cicotello] didn't have a way to communicate, but even if he had, it wouldn't have worked. Had his family not called, he himself would have perished."