On July 25, 2016 at about 4:30pm Zion Dispatch received a report of an injured 18 year old male at the last rappel on the Subway route. The reporting party (RP) was a member of the group that hiked ahead to get a cell phone call out. The RP stated that the subject had jumped from a rock just below the last rappel in the Subway and had injured his ankle. The RP stated that the subject could not bear weight on the ankle and the group was asking for our assistance to rescue the subject.
A SAR team of 4 with a radio relay was assembled to hike to the subject to get a scene size up. The team was prepared to spend the night and had overnight equipment for the subject. At about 8:30pm the rescue team met up with the subject and his group. The group had been carrying and assisting the subject down the canyon when they met the rescue team near the junction of Lee Valley and the Left Fork drainage.
With some assistance from the SAR team the subject was able to hike out the rest of the route. They made it back to the trailhead at about 10:00pm. The group had no headlamps or flashlights so assistance from the SAR team was critical in getting out in the dark, as the trail can be lost easily.
Lessons learned: Don't jump. Taking unnecessary risks in remote locations is unadvised. Always carry multiple light sources in case of unexpected events.