Smartwatch helps save motorcyclist who flew off a 50-foot cliff, Utah officials say
A motorcycle rider’s smartwatch notified rescuers after he flew off a 50-foot cliff in rugged terrain, Utah sheriff’s officials reported.
Rescue teams and helicopters responded to the crash near Warner Valley on Saturday, Feb. 4, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
He was flown to a hospital in critical condition after rescuers used ropes to lower him to a place where the aircraft could land, the release said.
The motorcyclist had fallen over a 40- to 50-foot cliff in the area, sheriff’s officials said.
He had apparently stopped at the edge of the cliff, then fallen over with his motorcycle as he went to put his foot down, deputies told KSTU. After plunging to a ledge, he tumbled about another 100 feet down a steep, rocky slope.
His medical condition later improved and he’s expected to survive, the station reported.
The rescue followed an earlier incident in which sheriff’s officials helped a woman who had been living in the area relocate after friends could no longer reach her with supplies, the release said.
Warner Valley is in southern Utah about 300 miles south of Salt Lake City.
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