Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON -- A 22-year-old rock climber was injured when he fell nearly 80 feet in Big Cottonwood Canyon Sunday.
According to James Blanton with the Unified Police Department's Canyon Patrol, the man was climbing with friends during a University of Utah rescue training class in the Dogwood Park area around 4 p.m. Blanton says the man's carabiner may have been improperly fastened and broke during descent.
"With that weight and with him pushing off as much as he did, he fell approximately 80 feet," Blanton said. "Halfway down he was able to catch himself on the rope, slow his descent down."
Blanton says the man hit a tree on the way down, possibly breaking several ribs. In addition, he suffered severe burns on his hands from grabbing the rope.
The man was taken to Intermountain Medical Center in serious condition. His name has not been released.
