A father was left critically injured after plunging about 80 feet while rappelling with his 1-year-old child in a remote Arizona canyon, triggering a grueling multi-agency rescue operation.
The frightening accident happened Saturday, Sept. 26, near the Ghost Valley Trailhead in the Virgin River Gorge, a rugged stretch of northwestern Arizona near the Utah and Nevada borders.
According to Beaver Dam Fire Rescue, the unidentified man and toddler were rappelling when they fell approximately 80 feet in an area difficult for emergency crews to reach.
Initial reports left rescuers unsure about the condition of either victim.
When emergency personnel finally reached the pair, however, they found the father critically injured while the 1-year-old appeared to have escaped the fall without injuries.
The family had reportedly been visiting the area as part of a larger group that included five young children and three women.
The child’s mother also injured her hand while apparently trying to pull on the rope during the emergency, Beaver Dam/Littlefield Fire Department Capt. Larry Lydon told local media.
Getting the injured father out of the canyon proved to be a major undertaking.
Firefighters and search-and-rescue teams spent approximately three hours working in the remote terrain before they were able to bring the victims to safety.
Crews cleared an area where an air ambulance could land, while rescuers used specialized equipment to move the critically injured man through the canyon.
The father was ultimately transported to St. George Regional Hospital in Utah for treatment.
No updated information about his condition had been publicly released as of Thursday.
The rescue brought together several agencies from both Arizona and Utah.
Beaver Dam Fire Rescue was assisted by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Utah, which sent members of its technical rope rescue team.
Photos released by emergency officials showed rescuers working among the rocky terrain, along with emergency vehicles and a helicopter involved in the operation.
Authorities have not publicly explained exactly what caused the father and child to fall.
Following the rescue, Beaver Dam Fire Rescue urged people heading into remote areas to take additional precautions, particularly when participating in activities such as rappelling.
Officials warned visitors to understand the risks involved and prepare for the possibility that emergency help could take significant time to arrive in isolated terrain.
The location itself helps explain why Saturday’s rescue was so difficult.
The Virgin River Gorge cuts through a dramatic section of desert along Interstate 15 between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah.
The Bureau of Land Management says the Virgin River drops an average of roughly 70 feet for every mile it travels through the gorge ā about 10 times the gradient of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
The surrounding cliffs and canyons have made the area popular with hikers, rock climbers and canyoneers, but the steep landscape can also make rescues especially challenging.
Despite falling roughly 80 feet alongside his father, the toddler’s apparent escape from serious injury provided one remarkable piece of good news from an otherwise devastating accident.
Authorities have not identified the family or announced whether an investigation into the cause of the fall is continuing.
Where is DFCS when you need them? What kind of MORON straps an infant to themselves and goes rappelling?? The parents are too blasted stupid to have custody of that baby. Thank God in heaven the child is ok!