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TAYLORSVILLE – A helicopter from the Utah Department of Public Safety was able to survive a winter storm and break into a sun canyon on Sunday to bring a man trapped in quicksand .
But while many applaud the efforts of all the crews involved in the spectacular rescue, the Sgt of the Department of Public Safety. Wyatt Weber Monday shrugged, calling it a "typical" rescue.
"It was a bit difficult. The weather made things a bit complicated, but I had the easiest job. The hardest job was the guys in the field who spent all night there. We spent many hours working with the wind, the water and that kind of thing, "he said.
On Saturday, a 34-year-old man from Arizona and a woman went hiking in the left fork of North Creek, also known as the Zion National Park Subway. But between three and four hours after the start of the hike, one of the man's legs got stuck in quicksand in the middle of a creek. His leg was buried up to the knee and he was unable to disengage.
The woman who accompanied her had to hike three to four hours before she could call 911 to receive a cell phone. The park guards ascended the canyon, found the man, and took him out. At that time, the man was trapped in cold running water for 10 hours and was suffering from hypothermia, according to park officials.
Rescue teams used tarpaulins and awnings to create shelter and stayed with the man on the scene that night in "freezing conditions," according to the rangers.
On Sunday, park rangers called the Utah Department of Public Safety to find out if his helicopter was available. Weber said he, a pilot and another crew member had taken several hours of flying to get to Zion. But they were forced to make several detours around a winter storm imminent.
"Some people feared we had to turn around and not go there," he said.
But Sunday afternoon, the helicopter arrived at the canyon.
In the air, Weber said the snow was a picturesque and serene place. But below, the crew knew that the injured hiker had to be hoisted so that the rescuers who had already walked and spent the night did not have to carry him.
"It saved them from now having to take this person four hours out of the canyon slot, even in some reminders that would have taken a lot of time," he said.
The state released a video taken from the rescue helicopter Monday.
The canyon was about 400 feet wide in this area, said Weber.
"I'm going to face the canyon, so keep an eye on the trees," the pilot said on the video.
When the helicopter sank down into the canyon, Weber said the crew was still watching the situation and thinking of a step forward.
"Where is our escape? Where could we land the helicopter if we were to land urgently?" he said that questions went through their heads.
"There are very few escapes in case of emergency, and that causes strange winds in these canyons with the hovering helicopter, and so the wind does very strange things." somehow makes it difficult to fly, makes it difficult to hang on to the patient, makes it difficult for people on the ground with things that fly away, "said Weber.
But again, he noted that for this type of rescue, "to say that it would be typical would be accurate".
The pilot managed to get closer to within 75 feet of the ground. One of the crew members was lowered to the ground using the winch and the injured hiker was prepared and hoisted into the helicopter.
Once inside the helicopter, the man, who was heavily bundled up by the rescuers, said, "Thank you".
He was then transported to an ambulance nearby and taken to a local hospital.
Weber said the only unusual part of the operation was the moving sand – which hikers usually do not expect to see fall in Zion National Park.
"I think they did a lot of things, they were prepared, they were able to go out for help, stay there, wait for the rangers." I do not think they have committed a wrongdoing or a misstep.It was just one of those things that they found themselves stuck. "
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