Motorcyclist is stranded in Utah canyon for 20 hours after going off trail, rescuers say

A stranded motorcyclist was rescued after falling 20 feet down a slot canyon in Utah, local news outlets reported.

Washington County Sheriff officials got a call at 9:30 p.m. March 12 reporting of a motorcyclist who never returned home, according to KJZZ. The 41-year-old went out for a ride in the Warner Valley area around 1:30 p.m.

Search and rescue teams were dispatched with a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter to find the man, later identified as Sgt. Brad Coleman with the Washington City police, officials told KSL.

The rescue teams were looking for Coleman until 3:30 a.m. March 13 when they eventually had to call off the mission until daylight returned, according to ABC 4.

Coleman was found around 8:30 a.m., “at the bottom of a slot canyon where he had been stranded for about 15 to 20 hours,” according to KSL.

He had gone off the trail and fallen around 20 feet to the bottom of the canyon, according to FOX 13.

Coleman, who has been in law enforcement for 15 years, was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries, according to a GoFundMe page.

Warner Valley is in southwestern Utah near the Arizona border, about 310 miles south of Salt Lake City.

This story was originally published March 14, 2023 at 1:07 PM with the headline "Motorcyclist is stranded in Utah canyon for 20 hours after going off trail, rescuers say."