Crews bracing for holiday weekend after recent uptick in search and rescue callouts
ST. GEORGE, Utah (KUTV) — A recent uptick in search and rescue callouts in Washington County has deputies concerned for the potential this upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
“The river’s come down quite a bit, which has actually encouraged people to tube down the river, kayak down the river, rafts,” said Sgt. Darrell Cashin, the search and rescue liaison for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. “We know that there’s a lot of recreation on the river right now.”
Within the last week, search and rescue members have responded to various calls for help on the Virgin River, including a few calls in the same vicinity of a swift water rescue last weekend.
On Wednesday, Washington County SAR responded to three separate callouts, including one where a mother and son were rafting when it tipped near Babylon Arch Trail. The mother swam to shore, climbed a rock outcropping to look for her son and got stuck. Her son made it to shore, but they needed to be hoisted out due to the terrain.
On Thursday night, SAR responded to Apple Valley where a vehicle rolled nearly 200 feet down a steep embankment. According to Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the truck hit boulders and trees as it rolled down the cliff. The driver got out of the car and climbed back up the extremely steep embankment by the time rescuers arrived on scene. The driver suffered some injuries, and the truck was ‘completely destroyed’.
“I have that fear that we are really going to have a lot of rescues this weekend,” said Sgt. Cashin, who advises people to have the right gear, have a plan, make sure others know where you’re going and be prepared if you get stuck somewhere longer than you’d planned. “I’m not asking you not to recreate, I’m asking you to do it safely.”
With nearly 65 search and rescue callouts so far this year and almost ten in the last week or so, Sgt. Cashin is stressing safety before heading out.
“I really hope people can leave here from this weekend and say ‘I’ve had a good time’ rather than not leave here and have some sort of a tragedy happen,” said Sgt. Cashin. “We’ve rather have you go home than have your family deal with some sort of tragedy, so think about that before you go out.”
