IRON COUNTY — Two people were critically injured in an off-highway vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on a popular ATV trail in the mountains between Parowan and Brian Head.
According to a public post made on Facebook by Iron County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, the crash happened at approximately 3 p.m. in the upper canyon of Second Left Hand Road.
Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Humphries told Cedar City News the incident involved a single four-wheeler with two riders, a male driver and a female passenger.
“The four-wheeler hit a large rock, causing the wheels to jerk and ripping the handlebars out of the driver’s hands and making him unable to stop it before going off the edge of the roadway,” Humphries said, adding that the vehicle ended up approximately 40 feet down a steep embankment.
The incident prompted a full-scale rescue effort response from multiple agencies.
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter was used to extract both patients from the scene. They were then both taken to Cedar City Hospital in critical condition. A Classic Air medical helicopter subsequently transported the man to St. George Regional Hospital, Humphries said.
Neither of the OHV riders was wearing a helmet, Humphries added.
Others responding to the incident included multiple deputies and one liaison from Iron County Sheriff’s Office, 15 members of Iron County Search and Rescue, three Gold Cross Ambulance paramedics, plus officers and personnel from Brian Head Marshal’s Office, Utah Highway Patrol, Interagency Wildland Fire, and Parowan Fire Department.
The responders reportedly deployed and utilized three search-and-rescue trucks, one six-wheeler and one Ranger side-by-side.
“Our volunteers stayed on-scene until the patients were transported and en route to the hospital,” the SAR’s statement said, adding that the mission lasted approximately four hours until it wrapped up at 7 p.m.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured parties,” the statement added. “We send our sincere appreciation to all of the agencies involved today for their quick response and care for the injured parties.”
Photo Gallery
Responders at the scene of an off-highway vehicle crash on Second Left Hand Road, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News Responding vehicles at the scene of an off-highway vehicle crash on Second Left Hand Road, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News Responders at the scene of an off-highway vehicle crash on Second Left Hand Road, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News Wrecked off-highway vehicle is visible down a steep embankment in Second Left Hand Road, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News Rescuers prepare a patient for extraction via helicopter from the scene of an off-highway vehicle crash on Second Left Hand Road, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter extracts an injured patient from the scene of an off-highway vehicle crash on Second Left Hand Road, Iron County, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George News / Cedar City News Map marks the approximate location of the crash | Image courtesy of Google maps, St. George News
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