PROVO CANYON, Utah – Emergency personnel responded to a boy who was injured after falling an estimated 300 feet in Provo Canyon Sunday.
Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, tweeted shortly before 5 p.m. that an 11-year-old boy fell near Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.
Officials said the boy fell a total of about 300 feet, but that distance was not straight down he said. Cannon said the boy slid along different areas during the fall, and he said the boy suffered head and back injuries.
Cannon said as of about 5:30 p.m. the boy was conscious and alert, but he said the victim doesn't remember what happened. Cannon said the boy fell from a narrow trail and came to rest about 250 feet above a trail. He said crews had to set up a technical rescue system to lower the boy down. He said the boy was taken by helicopter to a hospital around 5:30 p.m.
Cannon said the boy was able to move his extremities and respond to questions, but he said they are concerned because the boy can't remember what happened leading up to the fall.
"Where he doesn't remember though, like I said, that makes us a little nervous, but he was answering appropriately and responding to questions and talking to us, and so he was able to tell us how he is feeling and everything, and that's always important to rescuers," he said.
The boy was reportedly hiking in the area with his family. The boy is at Primary Children's Medical Center in critical condition. Authorities said he sustained head, back and hip injuries, and he may have broken his collar bone.
