A visitor was critically injured after falling while hiking near Pritchett Canyon west of Moab on Friday, April 10, prompting a complex, multi-agency rescue involving helicopters, technical rope systems and emergency medical crews.
The incident occurred when a family of four visiting Moab for spring break stopped near Pritchett Arch after riding into the area on off-highway vehicles, according to a Grand County Search and Rescue social media post. The group hiked toward Cummings Arch, where two members moved ahead of the others.
At some point during the hike, one of the adults fell near a cliff edge. No one witnessed the fall, but a child heard screaming and alerted the other parent, officials said.
“As for the reason for the rescue, no one saw the patient fall,” Grand County Search and Rescue said in a social media post. “The cliff edges in many places around Moab are deceptive. They slope gently from the top at first and quickly progress to vertical.”
The injured adult suffered severe trauma, including open fractures and possible internal injuries. The other parent used a satellite emergency feature on a phone to contact 911, initiating a response from Grand County Search and Rescue and Grand County Emergency Medical Services.
Due to the severity of the injuries, a medical helicopter from Intermountain Health was dispatched and arrived within minutes, landing about 150 yards from the patient. Crews determined the patient was located in steep, sloping terrain requiring a technical rope rescue.
Rescuers and medical personnel were ferried to the scene by helicopter, where they crossed a shallow wash and climbed to reach the patient, who had fallen an estimated 70 to 80 feet before tumbling farther down slickrock.
Search and rescue teams drilled anchors into the rock and constructed a rope system to lower the patient safely to the canyon floor. The patient was then carried to the landing zone, loaded into the helicopter and flown to a trauma center in critical condition.
The rescue took just under three hours from the time of the fall to the patient’s transport from the scene.
A second helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety later assisted in retrieving rescue personnel and equipment.
Officials said helicopters significantly reduced response time in the rugged terrain, where travel by vehicle can take hours. Without air support, the operation could have taken 10 to 12 hours.
SAR said it is unclear what led to the fall.
“Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” Grand County Search and Rescue wrote, wishing the family well.
This story was first published by The Times-Independent.