Rescue Efforts Save Grandfather After 20-Foot Canyon Fall In Utah

LAYTON, Utah — A 64-year-old grandfather is recovering after falling 20 feet off a canyon during a family hike on Memorial Day. Ashley Anderson, a school nurse, was hiking in Adams Canyon with her children and dogs when friends alerted her that someone needed medical assistance.

The grandfather had slipped and fallen near a waterfall, suffering serious injuries. “I looked over, and I didn’t even know what I was looking at at first. It took me a second to register that it was a body,” Anderson recalled. His family reported that his leg was broken and he had a deep head wound.

Anderson quickly joined other hikers to stabilize him while waiting for search and rescue to arrive. “We need something to put on his head to help with the bleeding,” she said. A fellow hiker provided his shirt as a makeshift bandage, while the group moved the grandfather to a drier area to keep him comfortable.

Doctors later confirmed that the grandfather suffered a broken kneecap and femur but avoided more serious injuries. “It was just a miracle. It really was,” Anderson reflected. She expressed gratitude for the chance to help and noted the bond formed with the other rescuers, who were strangers just days before.

Looking ahead, she is optimistic about the grandfather’s recovery. “I helped, and I believe anyone would have done the same thing in that situation,” she said.