Saturday, January 08, 2022

Fatal accident occurred January 07, 2022 in Grand County, Utah



Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue -

A 55 year-old Moab man died in a wingsuit flight from a cliff overlooking Professor Valley near Rocky Rapid on January 7th. The incident was reported shortly after noon when his satellite messaging device detected an impact and automatically transmitted an SOS signal. His companion also activated an inReach device from atop the cliff.

Grand County Sheriff's Search and Rescue responded with a boat and technical rescue gear and met Grand County EMS at the Rocky Rapid boat ramp. Classic Air Medical was dispatched and located the subject about 1,000 feet below his jump point and about 700 feet above the river. Two medics from the helicopter crew were dropped off nearby. They hiked to the subject and confirmed he was deceased.

Due to the hazardous nature of the steep talus slope on which the subject was located, a hoist helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) was requested and arrived a few hours later. In the interim, the Classic helicopter flew two GCSAR members to the scene to prepare the subject for the hoist operation. The DPS ship then transported the subject and two GCSAR members back to the boat ramp. The incident, GCSAR’s first of the year, was completed just after sunset.

The Grand County Sheriff's Office is a full service agency that includes Patrol, Investigations, Court Security, Dispatch, Emergency Management and Search and Rescue Divisions. We are proud to oversee the public safety for our residents and 2.5 million annual tourists who visit the 3,684 square miles that comprise Grand County, Utah.

GRAND COUNTY, Utah – A man was pronounced dead on January 7 as a result of a wingsuit flight gone awry.

According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, the 55 year-old Moab resident died in his flight from a cliff overlooking Professor Valley near Rocky Rapid. The incident was reported midday “when his satellite messaging device detected an impact and automatically transmitted an SOS signal.”

After Grand County Search and Rescue sent out an emergency rescue, a helicopter located the man about 1,000 feet below the cliff where he had jumped from and about 700 feet above the river.

Two medics who were dropped off by the helicopter hiked to the man and confirmed he was deceased.

Grand County Sheriffs indicated that the man was located on a steep talus slope that was treacherous enough to require a “hoist operation.”

Wingsuit flying, which started in the late 1990s, is commonly known as one of the most dangerous extreme sports on the planet.

According to a survey done by Dr. Omer Mei-Dan, a BASE jumper and sports medicine doctor, 72% of wingsuit jumpers had seen firsthand a death or major injury in the sport. 76% reported having at least one near-miss incident where a possible fatality was avoided.

4 comments:

  1. Lots of wingsuit jumpers lost around 2015. The squirrel suit experience is a manageable thrill when exiting an airplane, but high risk as a base jump.

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    1. But ... ready for it ... They've all done what they loved dying to do. Or, maybe it was all died doing love, or what they loved. Something like that.

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