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SAN JUAN COUNTY — A Utah man died Saturday after suffering a fatal fall at a popular rock climbing area in Southern Utah, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office has confirmed.
According to spokesperson Sheriff Rick Eldredge, 50-year-old Mark Davis was climbing in Beef Basin Canyon on Saturday around 7 p.m. when search-and-rescue crews responded to Rambo Wall where Davis had fallen after what is being described as some kind of equipment failure.
While Davis was rappelling, the failure occurred and he fell 20 feet and suffered major head trauma. Davis was not wearing any protective headgear. His friend was with him at the time of the accident.
Search-and-rescue crews as well as a medical helicopter were dispatched to the scene, but Davis had passed away from his injuries, Eldredge said. The equipment failure is still under investigation.
According to a Facebook post, Davis was a faculty member at Salt Lake Community College.
Our awesome friend Mark Davis was involved in a fatal accident in Moab last night. This is tragedy that is hitting those...
Posted by Channing Lowe on Sunday, March 13, 2016
"I am so sorry for the loss of your friend and also the friend of many in the local film community and the SLCC film community," one person posted. "The loss is deeply felt."
