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PLEASANT GROVE — The family of a Pleasant Grove woman critically injured during a solo hike at Bridal Veil Falls is thankful to two strangers they believe may have saved her life. Relatives say Jacque Tietjen, an experienced hiker and mountaineer, was out on the trail Tuesday evening when she suffered a severe fall. Her sister‑in‑law, Katherine Tietjen, said the family believes she may have slipped and hit her head or she was hit by falling rocks. “This isn’t new to her. She’s been in dangerous conditions,” Katherine said. “She’s been on thousands of hikes, and this was just the one where something went wrong.” Katherine said Jacque was found at the bottom of a 45‑degree slope. Hikers came across a trail of blood and discovered her unconscious, roughly an hour to an hour and a half after the fall. “They took care of her, wrapped their coats around her, tried to get her body temperature up,” she said. Life Flight crews transported Jacque to Utah Valley Hospital, where doctors discovered multiple brain bleeds, a significant skull fracture and facial fractures, as well as several scrapes and bruises. She is currently intubated and sedated while medical teams monitor swelling. “It will take a few days for the brain to show what it’s going to do,” Katherine said. "They're monitoring her brain right now to see the swelling and monitor the swelling. If it starts to swell too much, they will have to do emergency surgery and take a piece out of her skull to give the brain space to expand." Jacque’s family emphasized her extensive outdoor experience — including mountaineering expeditions in places like Mount Everest — but said her accident is a reminder that no one is immune to the risks of nature. They urge hikers to take basic precautions: avoid going alone, tell someone your plan and steer clear of unsafe areas. The family is grateful to the hikers they call heroes. "The fact that they not just noticed that, but had the inclination to follow it and to investigate, that potentially has saved her life," Katherine said, regarding the blood trail. "Our family is so grateful. There are no words to how grateful we are to those men." Katherine set up a *GoFundMe to help her brother with medical expenses.
Related: 59-year-old hiker critically injured in Little Cottonwood Canyon fall
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