Man dies in Zion National Park, two others rescued

Angels Landing in Zion National Park, date not specified | Photo by picturist, iStock / Getty Images Plus

ZION NATIONAL PARK – A man died in Zion National Park Wednesday after collapsing on the West Rim Trail and two others were rescued in a series of events that began Tuesday night.

The first incident started Tuesday night after it was reported that a visitor had fallen from a tree on the Wildcat Canyon Trail and hurt his ankle.

The man was three miles from his vehicle; medics responded to his location and spent the night with the man providing medical care.

A search and rescue team carried the man back to the trailhead Wednesday morning. The team was still carrying the man off the trail when a second call came in, park spokesman John Marciano said in a news statement.

At about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, it was reported that a man in his early 60s was experiencing shortness of breath on the West Rim Trail and needed medical attention. Zion Park emergency medical technicians again responded.

In the meantime, an interpretive ranger who was with the man reported that he had collapsed and CPR had been started.

Additional EMTs from the park and from Springdale, along with a park medic, were also sent to the West Rim Trail. Park and Springdale personnel reached the man and continued CPR, to no avail.

“After numerous unsuccessful attempts to revive the patient, CPR efforts were terminated,” Marciano said. “The National Park Service and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the fatality.”

While the West Rim incident was underway, park officials were notified of another man on the Emerald Pools Trail who was experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing.

A different park medic and rescue team responded to the location and provided care,” Marciano said.

The man was placed on a litter and carried back to the trailhead. He was then transported by Intermountain Life Flight to Dixie Regional Medical Center. The man is recovering.

“Our hearts are heavy for the loss of one of our visitors today,” Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said.

Visitors to the park are always urged to use caution while hiking in heat they may not be accustomed to.

Temperatures are expected to reach 110 degrees in the park on Monday and an Excessive Heat Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service. The watch is in effect from Monday at noon until 10 p.m. Wednesday.

“We always stress the importance of hydrating when here in the park,” Marciano said. “It will be especially important the next few days given the very hot temperatures forecast.”

A man died in Zion National Park earlier this month after falling 500 feet. He was found at the base of the Great Arch after his abandoned vehicle was discovered near the Canyon Overlook Trail. The death was ruled a suicide.

Read more: Body found at Zion National Park identified

Another hiker was found dead in March along the West Rim Trail, possibly after falling from Angels Landing.

Read more: Hiker dies from fall in Zion National Park

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

1 Comment

  • comments June 16, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    I’d be very surprised if it got 110 in zion next week. It’s always a good deal less hot that here (i’m not gonna use the word “cooler”, lol), and I can’t imagine it’ll get over 100 up there, but i guess its possible. The stock photo is not the best choice for this writeup. i’m not gonna say i’m “disappointed” that no one fell off a cliff, but… oh well

    Amazing there isn’t more incidents in that park with the bazillion people crowding up there. Not even worth going up there this time of year.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.