Call from injured base jumper near Virgin River Gorge prompts multi-agency response

LITTLEFIELD — Multiple agencies responded to reports that a base jumper crashed in the Paiute Wilderness Area in Littlefield, Arizona, after the jumper dialed 911 Sunday just after noon.

Arizona Department of Public Safety rangers out of Flagstaff, AZ, respond to a paraglider crash in Littlefield, AZ, April 11, 2021 | Photo by David Dudley, St. George News

The call came from a 33-year-old man who had injured himself after jumping off a cliff situated on Bureau of Land Management land, just off of the Arizona Strip corridor of I-15 South, near the Virgin River.

“He had jumped once earlier Sunday morning and climbed back up the cliff to attempt a second jump,” according to a press release by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. “During his second jump, his base jump parachute failed and he became severely injured upon landing.”

Though the accident occurred in Mohave County Sheriff’s Department’s jurisdiction, Washington County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue sent a team, including the high angle ropes team, to assist. Responders said that the jumper had crashed in “technical” terrain, which required teams to hike to his location.

Intermountain Life Flight, as well as Arizona Department of Public Safety rangers out of Flagstaff, Arizona, sent helicopters to assist with the rescue.

“Some rescuers were transported to a nearby location, where they made their way to the injured jumper and began to render aid,” the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said. “The Arizona Department of Public Safety Air Rescue helicopter was reconfigured for a short-haul/long-line operation, and brought him back to the Command Post.”

After rangers carried the injured man from the crash site, Life Flight transported the man to St. George Regional Hospital.

The Beaver Dam Fire Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety and Mohave County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue were also on scene.

Updated April 12, 2:20 p.m., Further details about the incident have been added.

This is a developing story, which is based upon information provided by law enforcement, and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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