County SAR makes 1st run of new year, helps couple stuck at reservoir

SAR volunteers search for a lost man in the Beaver Dam Wash area of Washington County, Utah, Dec. 4, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff Search and Rescue, St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY – Washington County Search and Rescue made its first run of the year Friday night after a couple reported their vehicle getting stuck on the eastern side of the county.

An adult couple, along with their two dogs, had driven to Kolob Reservoir and either became stuck or slid off the roadway due to snowy conditions still present in the area. Due to a lack of phone service in the area, the couple decided to leave their car and hike along a roadway leading into the reservoir until they were able to report their situation.

They hiked about four miles before being able to gain phone service and contacted the St. George Communications Center just before 9 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Cashin said.

The couple was instructed to continue walking down the roadway, Cashin said, rather than wait around and freeze.

As long as they were walking they were staying warm,” Cashin said.

Members of Washington County Search and Rescue were sent out in jeeps and found the couple along the road. They were able to get the two and their car out of the area without much difficultly, Cashin said.

Conventional wisdom holds that people stay with their vehicle if they find themselves in a sticky situation, and Cashin generally agreed. However, he said the couple had done well to hike along the main roadway in order to get a call out.

“It wasn’t like they were hiking though the wilderness,” he said.

Once cellular phone service was restored and Search and Rescue contacted, the entire operation wrapped up around 11 p.m.

No one was hurt in the incident and it was a nice, simple run to start the new year with, Cashin said.

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1 Comment

  • Just Me.... January 3, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    These guys rock….great community asset!!!

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