Searchers Find And Save Man Lost In Arches National Park

Arches National Park (UT)
Searchers Find And Save Man Lost In Park

A 75-year-old man left his wife and dog in their vehicle to take a short walk to Turret Arch for photos on the afternoon of Sunday, June 6th. Temperatures at the time were above 100 degrees and he had neither water nor food with him. When he failed to return, his wife went looking for him; when that effort proved fruitless, she contacted the park. Arches staff, later assisted by Grand County Sheriff’s Department personnel and county SAR team members, staff from Canyonlands, and a BLM helitack module, conducted a search that lasted throughout the night. Dogs, a helicopter and ground searchers were deployed during the season’s first period of extreme heat. Ground searchers found the man lying on a rock and not moving about 24 hours into the search. He was semiconscious and incoherent. A park medic from Canyonlands conducted an assessment and provided care, then flew with the man to Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab. He was eventually transferred to St Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, where he’s receiving treatment for a fractured wrist and kidney failure resulting from heat-related illnesses.