ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah (KTVX/KUCW) — A 58-year-old man died in a rappelling accident at Zion National Park’s Pine Creek Canyon over the weekend.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, National Park Service (NPS) law enforcement responded around 12:10 p.m. Sunday to a 911 text about a canyoneering accident involving a visitor at the last rappel.
Bystanders administered CPR while NPS first responders were immediately dispatched to hike through the terrain to reach the man. NPS arrived at approximately 1:30 p.m.
The sheriff’s office said the man was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:42 p.m.
Due to the remote location, the man was transported by helicopter to the Washington County Medical Examiner.
The U.S. Department of the Interior confirmed the companion who was with the canyoneer was safely rescued from the canyon wall. The incident remains under investigation.
Jess Kavangh, a tour guide with Zion Adventure, said this route is particularly difficult to climb or rappel down.
“Once you do rappel number one, there’s no going back,” she said. “You have to go forward.”
She also said an accident like this has an emotional impact.
“It hurts. You just can easily see it happening to your friends or your family, because we all descend canyons out here,” she said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, this only happens to other people.’ It happens to people in our community. And so it is a really hard day when we hear things like this happen.”
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