GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah, June 3, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 21-year-old man was rescued after falling 60 feet in Garfield County Tuesday.
“Garfield County received a call regarding a male who has been hiking from Mexico, over 800 miles and was on the Hayduke Trail of BLM Grand Staircase,” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “He fell approximately 60 feet, landing on his face and head, losing consciousness for an unknown amount of time.”
The man was able to activate his Satellite GPS Messaging Device. Classic 7 Air Medical out of Moab was called in and also the Department of Public Safety helicopter from Salt Lake, Garfield County Search and Rescue and the Garfield County High Angle Rescue Team.
“Classic 7 found the injured man and left the flight nurse and flight paramedic to hike into the patient to start medical treatment,” the post said. “Then the helicopter flew to Tropic to pick up two members of the rope rescue team along with one bag of rope rescue gear. Two other members of the Rope Rescue Team drove to Escalante Airport, which would be a closer turnaround time for the medical helicopter to fly in more personnel and equipment.”
The Classic 7 helicopter flew to Escalante airport, picked up two other members and more rescue equipment, and flew them to the scene, the post said.
“The Department of Public Safety helicopter along with a hoist team were able to arrive on scene and lower more equipment and a rescuer to the medical team to prepare for a hoist operation,” the statement said. “The DPS helicopter was then able to hoist the injured victim out of the canyon to the waiting Classic 3 helicopter that had been called to assist Classic 7.”
The reason the second medical helicopter was called out was because the flight nurse and the flight paramedic could not be hoisted with the patient, so another helicopter was called in with an awaiting fresh crew to receive the patient and fly him to St. George Regional Hospital.
The patient was deemed to be in extremely critical condition. He was treated, then later flown to UMC Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada because of extensive facial injuries.
The Garfield County Rope Rescue Team assisted with the needed equipment for the DPS helicopter and also assisted the medical team at the patient and assisted with the hoist operation.
