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It's been a busy summer for rescuers. Several times already, summer activities have turn into serious accidents.
Rescuers say being prepared is key when it comes to staying safe during summer adventures. Going in groups, carrying cell phones, having enough water and wearing helmets are just some of the precautions that rescuers recommend, whether you're hiking, riding ATVs or getting involved in water sports.
But preparation, they say, isn't always enough.
U Med flight nurse Talyse Francisconi said, "Accidents always happen, and no matter if you go out completely prepared or unprepared, it could happen to you. So you can go out there as prepared as possible, wear a helmet, bring your water, have all the safety factors, and you can still get in trouble and need us to come."
Francisconi says common sense about what you're doing and where you're going is just as important as being prepared. U Med crews are seeing more accidents in the backcountry than ever before.
Several have involved cliffs. Last Friday, a man fell 25 to 50 feet in Big Cottonwood Canyon. That's the same area where a woman died just days earlier when she fell 100 feet from a cliff. Also, a day hike for four hikers on Mount Olympus turned into a major rescue effort last month when they got stuck on a cliff.
But rescuers say knowing where you're going, when you're going, who you're going with, and how you're going to get around when you're out there are very, very important. Staying on the trails is another good idea.
Tonight on Eyewitness News at 5, we'll tell you about the other factor that rescuers say can put you in danger.
E-mail: corton@ksl.com