17-Year-Old Escapes Serious Injury in Provo Canyon Fall

PROVO CANYON, Utah – A 17-year-old escaped serious injury after falling while climbing near Bridal Veil Falls Wednesday evening.

Sergeant Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said a group of teenagers was hiking on rocks above the first level of the falls around 6 p.m. The teens were climbing up a rock using a rope they found hanging when one of them slipped. He fell about six feet, hitting his head as he landed.

“We were just climbing down and there was a rope and he just slipped back and cracked his head,” said his friend, Kesil Vega.

Vega said the boy was able to grab the rope as he fell, preventing him from tumbling further down the cliffs.

“His good fortune in being able to hang on to that rope when he fell may be what saved his life today,” Cannon said. “If he’d have slid just a few more feet, there’s a good chance he would have tumbled several hundred feet and we could have had a much different outcome,”

The boy’s friends called for help and search and rescue teams headed up the trails to tend to the boy. A Life Flight crew flew a helicopter in to survey the area and determined they could safely use a hoist to rescue the boy. By about 7:30 p.m., the boy was safely off the mountain. Cannon said the boy had experienced blurred vision after hitting his head, but had no other serious injuries.

Cannon emphasized that anyone heading into the mountains to hike or climb should always have the proper training and gear.