Logan Woman Says Boyfriend Saved Her Life After Rockslide

LOGAN, Utah – A Utah woman credited her boyfriend with saving her life after she shattered her pelvis during a rockslide near the Weber River.

Spending most of her time in bed at her parent’s house is not how Jenna DeGraffenried expected life to take her. She and her boyfriend, Charley Mumford, were planning a life together in Anchorage, Alaska, where he had been working. Unbeknownst to her, he was also planning to propose marriage. That all changed after the two of them went fly fishing on August 25 along the Weber River.

“It’s one of our favorite spots to go,” DeGraffenried said. “We were actually almost done for the day.”

After spending several hours on the river, DeGraffenried said she and Mumford decided to climb a rocky embankment over to another area. She said that’s when the earth started to crumble beneath her.

“I started rolling down the side of this ravine, and I was hitting into rocks, and rocks were coming down with me and ended up kind of dragging me down into the river,” DeGraffenried said. “At some point, I actually felt my pelvis bone break.”

DeGraffenried said she could see boulders still rolling down toward her as she landed in the river. Due to her injuries, she couldn’t stand up or swim.

“Charley ran down and he grabbed me, and I was crying, and he, you know, hugged me and we were both just freaking out,” Degraffenried said. “He actually told me that he thought I was dead.” 

Several area fire departments responded and firefighters said Degraffenried had to be hoisted up out of the river. She was transported to Ogden Regional Hospital and later to the University of Utah Hospital. There, she said she received a specialized surgery to put pins, rods and plates in her pelvis. It will likely take months for her to fully recover.

Meantime, Mumford is back in Anchorage, Alaska, where he now works. Degraffenried said she had already quit her job and moved out of her apartment with plans to move in with Mumford in Alaska.

“The timing was horrible,” she said.

While not much has gone as planned, the couple did manage to get engaged – something Degraffenried said her other half had been planning.

“I don’t know if it was that day, but there was definitely a proposal planned,” Degraffenried said. “He ended up asking me to marry him in the hospital bed.”

She said ‘yes.’ While it’s hard to know when the two will be able to start their lives together, she said her injuries won’t stop them.

“We’re really excited, and we’re going to figure it out, but this injury has just been catastrophic,” Degraffenried said.

Degraffenried’s family set up a GoFundMe page* to help with her medical expenses. She did not have medical insurance at the time of the accident.

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.