Salt Lake County Search and Rescue crews were dispatched to the Little Cottonwood Canyon area near China Wall on October 9 after a hiker fell while navigating a boulder field. The approximately 10-foot fall resulted in a serious lower leg injury that left the hiker unable to stand or return to the road.
Unified Fire Authority arrived first on the scene and provided medical assistance to stabilize the patient's knee. Following the initial medical response, an SAR team arrived with a litter to assist in packaging the patient for extraction.
A second SAR team was deployed to assess the terrain and plan an exit route, while two additional teams arrived to support the carry-out operation. Crews worked together to carry the patient across the boulder field, down the trail, and through the creek until they reached the road.
A family member was waiting at the road to transport the hiker to a hospital for further evaluation. All rescue teams were off the mountain by 5:42 p.m. on October 9.
