A hiker is dead after a fall on Thursday morning, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit received a call that a 61-year-old man had fallen about 10 feet down a cliff while hiking in the Virgin River Gorge. As he had fallen, a rock had become loose that had also hit his head.
The hiker was unconscious, non-responsive and seriously injured. A number of rescuers from multiple agencies responded to the scene including Beaver Dam Fire, Mercy Air Helicopter, Washington County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, DPS Air Rescue helicopter from Flagstaff, DPS troopers, and a Ranger from BLM.
Search and Rescue medics arrived on scene and began to render aid. Then the DPS Air Rescue helicopter performed a short-haul extraction, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and brought him to the Command Post where he was transferred to the Mercy Air helicopter.
The hiker was then flown to the hospital for emergency care, where he had later succumbed to his injuries.