Nighttime caving proved to be a dangerous pursuit for a group of adventurers who went climbing inside the Little Brushcreek cave system in north Uintah County
on Sunday evening
. According to the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office, a 24-year-old California man was seriously injured when he fell approximately 50 feet while exploring the caves. “After he fell, one of his friends naviated his way out of the cave, which took him about an hour, where he called 9-1-1 just after
9:00pm
.” Local emergency response crews arrived but after learning that the injured party was several hundred feet inside the cave, additional resources were contacted including crews from Wasatch, Utah, and Salt Lake Counties as well as the Utah Cavers and National Cavers Association. A member of Vernal Fire and a member of Uintah County Search and Rescue were able to make it to the injured party and two of his friends who also needed rescue and stayed there overnight until the rescue efforts were coordinated and executed. The injured man and the rest of his party were brought out of the cave at approximately
9:50am on Monday morning
. “It is estimated that he and his friends were approximately 500 feet inside the cave system when he fell,” shares the Sheriff’s Office.” “He was airlifted from the scene by Classic Lifeguard to the Wasatch Front for treatment of multiple broken bones and trauma.” The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office extends their thanks to the many agencies involved in this extraordinary rescue effort including the Uintah, Wasatch, and Utah County Search and Rescue teams, Vernal Fire, Salt Lake Fire, Gold Cross, Classic Lifeguard, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Cavers Association, and the National Cavers Association.
