An Arizona man is lucky to be alive after falling 100 feet in a rugged area of Zion National Park. A U.S. Air Force rescue team was called in to get him out.
Park rangers say they were notified about 5 p.m. Monday of a serious fall in Behunin Canyon, but it took almost seven hours for medics to reach the man on the canyon floor.
The 33-year-old rock climber had significant injuries after falling without rope protection in place.
Witnesses say they had advised the victim earlier he should be tied in, but that at the time of the fall he was not.
Rescuers from Nellis Air Force Base removed the man and his wife from the canyon just before a rainstorm moved in early Tuesday morning.
Chief Park Ranger Cindy Purcell says the man’s helmet probably saved his life.