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PROVO — Police have identified a woman who died after falling above Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.
Salt Lake County resident Kaitlin Keeney, 20, had been hiking with a female friend Wednesday when she slipped and fell about 40 feet, receiving a severe head injury.
Dispatchers received a call from Keeney's friend around 5:35 p.m. reporting that she had fallen from above Bridal Veil Falls. A medical helicopter responded to the scene, but rescuers were unable to safely hoist the woman from the canyon, Utah County Sheriff's Lt. Yvette Rice said.
Search and rescue crews and paramedics responded, but Keeney died before they could reach her.
"Our thoughts are with the Keeney family as they deal with the tragic loss of their daughter at this time," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Police do not suspect any suspicious activity in her death.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said authorities receive about half a dozen calls annually for those who have been injured on the climb.
"Part of the problem is it is accessible, and it's not a highly technical climb, but it's not by any means an 'easy climb,' even just to climb to the first level," Cannon said. "There's some danger there, and then when people get there, it's easy to get into a situation where they've gone beyond their skills and abilities and certainly beyond any equipment they have with them."
Cannon did not know Keeney's skill level. "Whether it was a slip and fall or an equipment failure, we just don't know yet," he said.
Contributing: Dave Cawley
