Date of Incident: June 10, 1999
River: Colorado
Section of River: Cataract Canyon
Location on River: Near Spanish Bottom, Mile 213.3
Relative Flow: N/A
Gage Reading: N/A
Difficulty: N/A
Type of Incident: Hiking Fall
Injuries: Broken Arm
Type of Trip: Private
Type of Boat: Canoes
Description
At 14:00 a woman, age unknown, fell and broke an arm while hiking down the Doll House Trail near Spanish Bottom. Her party had just completed a multi-day canoe trip on the Green River and was to be picked up by a commercial boating service and taken to Moab the following day. About 15 minutes after the accident the woman was found by three boatmen of a commercial river party who were equipped with two portable radios and a cellular telephone. The boatmen administered first aid and called by radio to the Park Service for assistance.
In Retrospect
1) This incident was quickly concluded because of the presence and communication equipment of trained commercial boatmen.
2) Although not a life threatening situation, a helicopter was determined the best means of transportation because of the remoteness of the area. The patient's discomfort was a major consideration in deciding against the length of time necessary for a boat evacuation.
