Officials urge safety after third drowning at Sand Hollow this summer

HURRICANE, Washington County — On Thursday, Sand Hollow State Park saw its third drowning fatality this summer, and Utah Department of Natural Resources Capt. Chase Pili said it's three too many.

"These circumstances should never feel normal, and people shouldn't just expect to see drownings," Pili told KSL.

The most recent drowning at the popular state park included a 19-year-old man visiting from Nevada, whom Pili said was near the dive park, which is an area popular to swimmers and scuba divers. Pili confirmed the man was not wearing a life jacket when he went under the water.

"What people don't realize is, even if you're a good swimmer, there is a risk to (going) swimming — even in five feet of water," he said. "We've had some incidents in the past when people have just been out in five feet of water and some unforeseen circumstances where they go under.

"We've had incidents where family members or friends have reported, 'I saw them one second and I didn't see them the next,'" he added. "When you go under water, you're lucky if anyone actually finds you because you're in a lake and it's very scary to not see someone where you saw them just a second ago."

Plii said drownings happen every year in lakes across the state, with some years having more instances than others. He also said that the growing popularity of outdoor recreation adds to the prevalence.

"We love that people are out and about, but we want to be able to educate them on how to stay safe when they're out — you know, things like wearing life jackets, wearing helmets on and off highway vehicles, checking weather before you go out, and making sure that you're bringing plenty of water," he said. "A lot of these incidents in our outdoor recreational spaces can potentially be prevented with just some simple adjustments to how you prepare for them."

Utah Division of State Parks communications specialist Ally O'Rullian said that Sand Hollow State Park is the state's most visited state park, bringing in more than 1,400,000 visitors since July of last year. This is an increase of 50,000 over the previous year, which she said is indicative of what a "great area" it is for recreation.

"It's popular for a good reason," O'Rullian said. "It's a really wonderful water-based park for people to recreate in. It also has access to the sand dunes right nearby, so it's really fun. Because of that high number of visitations, we also see it as a place for incidents that happen as well."

O'Rullian said there are many factors that contribute to accidents and fatalities in outdoor recreation areas, including dehydration, over-exertion, going alone and not going prepared.

"We really want everybody to have a happy, healthy and safe visit when they come to our state park," she said. "Take the proper precautions, and if you need any help, our park rangers are there. If you need a lifejacket, they're available in all sizes for people to check out for free.

"We want people to enjoy the time out in the water and be able to return safely home," she added. "Plan ahead and prepare, and know that you're facing different conditions than when you're recreating in a water body versus in a pool or contained body of water."

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