On Wednesday July 1, 2015 at approximately 3:30 pm, Zion Dispatch received a radio call from park staff roving the Riverside Walk that a 44-year-old man, last seen two bends above Orderville Canyon, had suffered an ankle injury. The reporting party stated he could not bear weight on the injured ankle and needed assistance.
Two rangers began hiking in and met the patient at Mystery Falls, about 1/4 mile from the end of the Riverside Walk. He was currently using a rafting inner-tube (which are not permitted in the park) offered by another visitor to make his way down the river. He was laying on his belly in the tube using his hands to pull himself downstream. The rangers used the handles on the tube to pull him the rest of the way to the Riverside Walk where the remainder of the litter team met the patient.
They replaced the improvised split (flip-flops) with a SAM splint, and the patient was evacuated by wheeled litter to the Temple of Sinawava. They were given a courtesy transport to their vehicle and the patient was transported to the hospital.
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July 02, 2015
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Last updated: August 10, 2015