Pine Creek rescue underway

[Scott Card]

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=30

ZION NATIONAL PARK — Search and rescue crews responded to a man who was injured in Zion National Park Friday afternoon.
A man was canyoneering in Pine Creek when he was injured, according to Zion National Park public information officer Aly Baltrus. Baltrus said initial reports stated that the man may have broken his leg.
A search and rescue crew of around 15 members was dispatched to the incident and Baltrus said the rescue would take several hours.
The Overlook Parking Lot was closed during the recovery efforts.
In 2014, search and rescue teams were dispatched to 80 incidents in Zion National Park, with three fatalities.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.

[moab mark]

Shane is there...........:)

[Iceaxe]

I'm currently safe, drinking a beer and having dinner.

The day I need to be rescued from Pine Creek is the day I hang up my harness. I'd crawl out of there with a broken leg before I'd suffer the indignantly of a kiddie canyon rescue.

[Absolute Gravity]

I'd crawl out of there with a broken leg before I'd suffer the indignantly of a kiddie canyon rescue.

Is that you again Cotton?

Ever since Busters thread all of your posts are in Cotton's voice. Extra laughs for me.

[Iceaxe]

Haha... it does read better in Cotton's voice.

[emoji106]

[Kashmire]

80 rescues seems like a lot...

[Slot Machine]

80 rescues seems like a lot...

That number includes canyoneers, hikers, climbers and base jumpers that don't land well.

[Rob L]

That number includes canyoneers, hikers, climbers and base jumpers that don't land well.

Base jumpers that don't land well don't need rescuing.:facepalm1:

[Iceaxe]

A little more info....

http://fox13now.com/2015/04/03/search-and-rescue-extracts-man-from-bottom-of-canyon-at-zion-national-park/

[moab mark]

That's an impressive picture of the rescue. The SAR boys there have skills.

[shagdeuce]

From today's morning report (http://www.nps.gov/morningreport/):

Zion National Park (UT)
Injured Man Rescued From Slot Canyon

Park dispatch was contacted by the fee ranger at Tunnel East around 2 p.m. on the afternoon of April 3rd and informed that there was an injured man in Pine Creek Canyon requesting assistance. Pine Creek is a technical slot canyon requiring wet suits and multiple rappels.

The reporting party was a member of the injured person’s group and had ascended a rope that another group in the canyon had fixed at the first rappel. He said that a member of his party had broken his ankle at the second rappel in Pine Creek and would need SAR personnel to help him out.

A technical rescue team was organized and had a high line with a reeve system set up by 5 p.m. A high line with a reeve is a system where a rope spanning the canyon is tensioned and the rescuer and litter are attached to the high line with a pulley and pulled across using tag lines on either side of the canyon. The rescuer is positioned directly over the patient in the slot canyon and lowered using a technique called a reeve.

Ranger-Medic Ryan McDonald-O'Lear, who was lowered to the man, provided medical care and packaged him for extrication. Both were then raised to the high line and moved back across the span to the Canyon Overlook Trail. The injured man was carried off the trail by wheeled litter and transported via park ambulance to Dixie Regional Medical Center.

Fifteen SAR personnel took part in the rescue, which took approximately 5 hours to complete.
[Submitted by Andrew Fitzgerald, Park Ranger]