PROVO CANYON — After an ice climbing accident, a woman was left badly injured and a man climbing with her also sustained injury. The woman, along with a male friend, were climbing in the popular area known as the “Stairway to Heaven” about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when she fell about 40 feet. Provo Fire Battalion Chief Tom Augustus noted that other climbers had mentioned to officials, “The ice has dried out a little and is brittle right now.” The man she was climbing with, who is in his 30s, was hit by falling ice debris and suffered minor injuries, but was able to scale down the frozen waterfall. The Provo Mountain Rescue team was training Wednesday morning, so the team was able to arrive quickly. When they arrived, the woman was 350 to 400 feet up the slope. They used a rigging system to move her about 50 feet to a more level area to give her medical assistance. “The biggest challenge that we have right now is we don’t want to get anyone else hurt,” said Provo Fire Department Bt. Chief Tom Augustus. Once down the mountain face, AirMed transported the woman in stable condition to University Hospital. The man was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for his injuries. Authorities say Bridal Veil Falls is one of the premier ice climbing venues in the country, but it’s inherently risky. “Ice climbing in and of itself is one of the things that your mom and dad probably wouldn’t want you to do,” Augustus said. “…It’s fun, it’s exhilarating, but it’s very dangerous.”
The Personal Injury Lawyers of Utah would like to wish the two climbers a speedy recovery and would like to urge anyone who part takes in ice climbing to be careful. If you are ever injured please give us a call so we can help you with any personal injury case or any legal matter.
