WASHINGTON COUNTY — Members of the Washington County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team were called out Tuesday after a young man fell while hiking in the Red Cliff Recreation Area.
At around 2:30 p.m., a group of young men were out hiking in the Red Cliffs area, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Darrell Cashin said. The enjoyable hike took a turn when one of the men fell.
“One of them slipped and kind of rolled 30–40 feet down the side of a hill,” Cashin said. “He kind of bounced on the way down.”
After this, a fellow hiker in the group ran out of the area and called 911, Cashin said. The hiker met Leeds EMS responders along with members of the Washington County Search and Rescue High Angle Team at the trailhead and led them to the injured man.
Once the injured man was located, Cashin said, emergency responders had a difficult time trying to remove him from the area because of the extremely rough terrain.
“We tried to get Life Flight in there several times,” Cashin said “but they were having some difficulty landing because of the terrain.”
After some time, emergency responders were able to find a way to get Life Flight landed in the area. The man may have fractures and also complained of back and hip pain, Cashin said. He was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for treatment.
While the weather was causing issues for motorists near the Leeds area, Cashin said rescue workers were lucky in that the weather did not really affect the area of this search and rescue, which was cleared by about 5:45 p.m.
When hiking in areas like the Red Cliffs Recreation area — or anywhere for that matter — hikers should be sure to take certain precautions and plan for these types of emergency situations, Cashin said.
“Watch your footing. Wear good shoes because that is slick rock, and always be prepared for the unexpected.”
Always pack enough food and water to last an extended amount of time, a first-aid kit and either a radio or cell phone to call for help if possible.
Read more: hiking safety tips
Related Posts
- 3 accidents in 20 minutes; I-15 temporarily shut down; STGnews Videocast
- Search and rescue accidentally finds stranded woman; 3 rescues in 1 day
- Search and Rescue saves the day for man stranded near Kolob Reservoir
- County Commission: Big year for search and rescue, 911 dispatch
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.