Teen injured after falling 40 feet down cliff

Teen injured after falling 40 feet down cliff

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SANDY — A teenager sustained injuries Friday after falling about 40 feet down the cliff face of Rocky Mountain Trail.

The victim, who police believe to be 16 years old, was with some friends at about 80 feet above the Rocky Mouth Waterfall when he fell, landing on a ledge about 80 feet above the ground, according to Chris Dawson, Battalion Chief with Sandy City Fire Department.

Dawson said it was fortunate the ledge stopped his fall, or else he could have suffered critical injuries or died.

The boy was “banged up pretty significantly” on his legs and arms, but was conscious and talking when crews arrived and was able to walk down to where he received medical care after crews used rope systems to help get him from the ledge, Dawson said.

“(It’s) a very scary area, it’s an area we respond to quite frequently,” Dawson said.

Crews respond to the area several times a year, typically when hikers or climbers don’t have appropriate equipment with them, Dawson said.

Dawson doesn’t know exactly why the boy fell, but he said it’s a very steep area with a lot of loose rock, and the boy could have slipped. The boy and his friends did not have gear with them.

It does not appear that the boy has head injuries or trauma, Dawson said.

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Megan Marsden Christensen

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