Three people escaped serious injury Saturday after their SUV fell off the side of a cliff near Moab.
The accident came on the busiest weekend in the area's history for off-road enthusiasts, Grand County Sheriff Jim Nyland said.
"This was the only real injury accident that we had, thank goodness, with all the thousands of people here," Nyland said.
The accident left the SUV's driver, Jamie Endow, 22, Ogden, with injuries to his right hand, knee and foot. Endow was treated and released Saturday night from Allen Memorial Hospital in Moab.
His two passengers, Elizabeth Grogan, 19, Tempe, Ariz., and Hailey Cutlip, 19, Ogden, suffered more serious injuries and were taken Saturday night by medical helicopter in stable condition from Allen Memorial to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo. Grogan was released Sunday and Cutlip was discharged Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Endow was driving the SUV down the Lion's Back trail, located about four miles east of Moab in the Sand Flats area, a popular off-road vehicle area.
Endow moved to the side to let another vehicle coming up the trail pass.
"The sandstone gave away, and then the vehicle tipped over on its side, slid down the slick rock and then went off about a 45-foot cliff," Nyland said.
The SUV then plunged nose-first into a sandstone crevice.
No one was ejected, but all three had to be removed from the area by helicopter.
Driving on the slick rock is not illegal, and authorities were awaiting blood tests from the driver to determine if alcohol was involved, Nyland said.
The car remained in the crevice where it landed Monday and was expected to be removed in the next few days.