Date of Event: 10/10/1992
Canyon involved: The Subway
Region: Utah Zion National Park
Country: USA
Submitted by: Dave Nally
Source: from “Deaths & Rescues in Zion National Park” by Dave Nally
Injuries: Fatality
Cause: Anchor error, Rappel error
Description of Event: In the upper end of the slot canyon portion of The Subway, David Bryant, age 32, died from internal injuries after taking a 30-foot fall. He was rappelling off a tree―using it as an anchor―and the tree broke loose from its roots. Two others from his group had already rappelled ahead of him off this same tree without incident; however, when Bryant started his descent, the tree gave way. A doctor who was hiking nearby started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Bryant, and eventually fashioned a breathing tube out of a plastic milk jug handle, and inserted it into his throat to help him breathe. Another hiker went for help. A few hours later, an Air Force helicopter crew wearing night vision goggles, and aided by moonlight, descended into the canyon, picked up Bryant, and flew him to the Saint George hospital―30 miles away―where he arrived six hours after the fall. Sadly, he died at the hospital, only 10 minutes after his arrival.
Analysis: Natural anchors are constantly changing (trees rot, soil erodes…) and must be thoroughly assessed before use. Without further details on the accident, it can only be said that the tree was likely not properly assessed and/or was misused (e.g. poor rappel technique).