SPRINGDALE — Zion National Park rangers responded to an incident Friday afternoon involving an unresponsive California man who was later pronounced dead.
According to a National Park Service press release, rangers were alerted to an unresponsive hiker on the West Rim Trail near Scout Overlook. They hiked to the man’s location and found park visitors with emergency medical training performing resuscitation breathing.
Rangers proceeded to treat the patient and used medical equipment they hiked in — which included an automated external defibrillator and a heart monitor — in attempts to revive him. However, after 90 minutes of performing CPR and the park’s consulting with a doctor, the man was pronounced dead.
Based on current information, the patient, a 63-year-old man from San Diego, appears to have had a heart attack. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Office of the Medical Examiner, and the National Park Service are still investigating the cause of the man’s death.
“All of us at Zion extend our deepest condolences to this hiker’s family,” said Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh. “We also want to express thanks to the bystanders who assisted by performing CPR.”
The West Rim Trail was temporarily closed during rescue operations and has since reopened. Zion National Park’s response involved more than 20 search and rescue team members, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics, and the park ambulance.
Park officials have not released the man’s name.
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