An experienced climber in her late 40s was critically injured Tuesday after falling while rappelling in the Red Ledges area of Diamond Fork Canyon, according to Spanish Fork Fire and EMS. Crews were dispatched to the scene around 12:50 p.m., treated and stabilized her, and handed her off to AirLife Utah, which flew her to an area trauma center for further treatment.
According to ABC4, the woman had reportedly fallen approximately 40 to 60 feet and sustained critical injuries. FOX 13, citing the Spanish Fork Fire & EMS team, reported the unidentified adult female fell approximately 60 feet at 12:50 p.m. The two outlets give differing levels of precision on the exact fall distance, and neither has been reconciled publicly.
Crews Stabilize Patient Before Helicopter Transport
Emergency responders on scene provided emergency medical care and were able to stabilize the patient before AirLife Utah took over, ABC4's report states. The air ambulance then flew her to an area trauma center for further treatment. FOX 13 reported that the climber's condition had not been released as of its report.
Spanish Fork Fire and EMS credited Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue, the Utah County Sheriff's Office, Central Utah 911, and AirLife Utah for their assistance with the response, per ABC4. As of ABC4's report, officials had not released any additional details about the circumstances of the fall.
Red Ledges Has Seen Other Falls and Rescues
Diamond Fork Canyon's Red Ledges area, which a Road Trip Ryan guide describes as offering quite a few rappelling options, has been the site of other emergency responses in recent time. A woman in her 50s previously fell 50 feet while rappelling at Red Ledges near Diamond Fork Road and was flown to Utah Valley Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to KUTV. In a separate incident, a 16-year-old hiker was rescued from the same Spanish Fork Canyon area after a boulder fell on his leg and broke his femur, with that rescue taking more than three hours and drawing a response from a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter alongside Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue and Spanish Fork Fire and EMS, ABC4 reported separately.
