Family's spring break hike turns into life-or-death rescue after parent falls 70 feet off Utah cliff

A family’s spring break adventure in Utah’s rugged backcountry turned into a life-or-death rescue after a parent plunged roughly 70 feet off a cliff, leaving first responders scrambling to reach the critically injured victim in treacherous terrain.

The accident happened Friday in the Pritchett Canyon area of Moab after a family of four parked their off-road vehicles and set out on a hike to view nearby rock arches, the Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue said.

The family split up during the hike when one parent and child began walking faster than the other parent and child. At some point, the adult who was trailing behind got too close to the edge and fell, rescuers said.

"No one else in the group saw the fall, but one of the kids heard the screaming and rushed down the hiking route to alert the other parent that something had happened," the sheriff’s search and rescue said.

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The other adult was able to call for help via their iPhone’s satellite function and sent a text to 911. A rescue helicopter responded and was able to land about 150 yards from the injured hiker in about five minutes, rescuers said.

Officials said it would prove to be a "difficult rescue" as the hiker was "lodged in a sloping sandstone gully."

"The estimated distance of the fall was 70–80 feet followed by a 50-foot bouncing tumble, all on slickrock," rescuers said. "Many hands would be needed for this rescue."

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The hiker had a "badly broken body," with their injuries being described as "open fractures and possible internal injuries," rescuers said. The hiker had to be put in a rescue litter to be moved.

The team carried out the technical rescue operation using ropes, webbing, carabiners, anchoring bolts and descent devices. The entire operation lasted three hours.

The hiker was airlifted in critical condition to a hospital. Their current condition is unclear.

"As for the reason for the rescue, no one saw the patient fall," the sheriff’s search and rescue team said. "The cliff edges in many places around Moab are deceptive. They slope gently from the top at first and quickly progress to vertical. It is not known what led up to the accident or what/if anything could have prevented it."

Rescuers urged hikers to take care when exploring the wilderness in the Moab area.

"The ubiquitous advice to 'Be Careful' is sound and sometimes bad things happen to good people," the rescue team said, adding that it "wishes the family the best of luck moving forward."