facebook-pixel

Hiker rescued after falling more than 100 feet and lying stranded for hours

Rescuers rappelled down to the man, who had broken his leg and possibly his pelvis.

A Salt Lake City Fire Department crew rescued a man Sunday who fell more than 100 feet to a cliff ledge and was stranded there for hours.

Fire Capt. Tony Stowe said the 29-year-old man was hiking near 1000 N. Victory Road, close to a Salt Lake City industrial area west of Ensign Peak, when he tumbled down the mountain and came to a stop just before the cliff edge. The man lost his phone during the fall and couldn’t call for help, stranding him for more than five hours on the mountain.

The man flashed his flashlight, yelled for help and waved his arms, Stowe said, which caught the attention of a group of homeless people who live in the area. They called 911 at about 9:30 a.m.

Stowe said the man, who was conscious but disoriented when he was found, said he went out for his hike around 4 a.m.

Stowe said it appears the man broke his pelvis, but that “he definitely had a broken leg.”

The fire department’s Heavy Rescue Team found an anchor point about 100 feet above the man and rappelled down to him. The rescue took about two hours, Stowe said.

The man was taken to a hospital, Stowe said.