Hiker hospitalized after falling on rocky stretch of Bell Canyon Trail

SANDY, Utah — A hiker was hoisted out by a helicopter Tuesday after falling on the Bell Canyon Trail near Sandy.

Sandy City Fire Chief Jeff Bassett said a report came in just after 11 a.m. that someone had fallen on a rocky stretch of trail at the Lower Falls and was seriously injured.

Fire crews were then dispatched, along with a LifeFlight helicopter and search and rescue.

Bassett said due to the nature of the patient’s injuries, as well as for time efficiency, a hoist team was used to transport the patient down to a landing zone at the trailhead, where they were then driven away in an ambulance.

The patient was said to be in serious condition, but a description of their injuries was not immediately available.

The fire chief shared some important safety tips about recreating in the state following the rescue.

“One thing that we always try to advocate is knowing where you are and always hiking with a person, a group. Lucky for this individual, they were hiking with somebody else, and that person was able to call right away and get 911 services up here as quickly as possible.”

He continued: “Make sure you’re with someone. Make sure people know where you’re going and what time you’re supposed to be back. And then as you do recreate, make sure you always have the right clothing, the right footwear. Not hiking in sandals. Good, strong footwear. And having enough water and food. And then we always encourage everyone to always hike with a headlamp because you never know what conditions will occur.”

He also encouraged hikers to download an app called “what3words,” which helps pinpoint your location so you can give it to dispatch and then have that sent out to emergency personnel.

“This just gives us three simple words, and we don’t need to worry about if someone can’t understand the latitude or longitude of the map.”