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

A family’s outpouring interruption escapade successful Utah’s rugged backcountry turned into a life-or-death rescue aft a genitor plunged astir 70 feet disconnected a cliff, leaving archetypal responders scrambling to scope the critically injured unfortunate successful treacherous terrain.

The mishap happened Friday successful the Pritchett Canyon country of Moab aft a household of 4 parked their off-road vehicles and acceptable retired connected a hike to presumption adjacent stone arches, the Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue said.

The household divided up during the hike erstwhile 1 genitor and kid began walking faster than the different genitor and child. At immoderate point, the big who was trailing down got excessively adjacent to the borderline and fell, rescuers said.

"No 1 other successful the radical saw the fall, but 1 of the kids heard the screaming and rushed down the hiking way to alert the different genitor that thing had happened," the sheriff’s hunt and rescue said.

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The hiker had a "badly breached body," with their injuries being described arsenic "open fractures and imaginable interior injuries," rescuers said. The hiker had to beryllium enactment successful a rescue litter to beryllium moved. (Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue)

The different big was capable to telephone for assistance via their iPhone’s outer relation and sent a substance to 911. A rescue chopper responded and was capable to onshore astir 150 yards from the injured hiker successful astir 5 minutes, rescuers said.

Following the 70-foot fall, the hiker took a 50-foot "bouncing tumble, each connected slickrock," rescuers said. (Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue)

Officials said it would beryllium to beryllium a "difficult rescue" arsenic the hiker was "lodged successful a sloping sandstone gully."

"The estimated region of the autumn was 70-80 feet followed by a 50-foot bouncing tumble, each connected slickrock," rescuers said. "Many hands would beryllium needed for this rescue."

Rescuers called it a "difficult rescue" owed to the treacherous terrain. (Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue)

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The hiker had a "badly breached body," with their injuries being described arsenic "open fractures and imaginable interior injuries," rescuers said. The hiker had to beryllium enactment successful a rescue litter to beryllium moved.

The squad carried retired the method rescue cognition utilizing ropes, webbing, carabiners, anchoring bolts and descent devices. The full cognition lasted 3 hours.

An big hiker fell astir 70 feet disconnected a cliff successful Moab, Utah, portion connected a Spring Break hike with their household connected Friday, April 10, 2026, the Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue said. (Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue)

The hiker was airlifted successful captious information to a hospital. Their existent information is unclear.

"As for the crushed for the rescue, nary 1 saw the diligent fall," the sheriff’s hunt and rescue squad said. "The cliff edges successful galore places astir Moab are deceptive. They slope mildly from the apical astatine archetypal and rapidly advancement to vertical. It is not known what led up to the mishap oregon what/if thing could person prevented it."

The hiking mishap happened successful the Pritchett Canyon country of Moab, Utah, connected Friday, April 10, 2026. (Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue)

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Rescuers urged hikers to instrumentality attraction erstwhile exploring the wilderness successful the Moab area.

"The ubiquitous proposal to 'Be Careful' is dependable and sometimes atrocious things hap to bully people," the rescue squad said, adding that it "wishes the household the champion of luck moving forward."