BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — A 22-year-old man was killed near Doughnut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon Wednesday when a 5-ton rock came loose and crushed him.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office identified the hiker as Seth Buhr, 22, Salt Lake City.
Buhr and three friends hiked to the falls area Wednesday afternoon, sheriff's deputy Peggy Faulkner said. They trekked through 8 feet of snow to the upper canyon elevations, taking a break next to the pool under the falls.
While they were resting, a boulder estimated to be about 4 feet by 4 feet and 10,000 pounds began to roll toward Buhr and one of his friends, said Sgt. Lane Larkin, who supervises search and rescue operations.
Buhr pushed his friend out of the way but was unable to get himself out of the way.
"He pushed his friend out of the way, into the water, which saved her life. And he was killed," Larkin said.
Jeannette Smith told KSL-TV Buhr was always putting others before himself, but she does not know why she was pushed out of the way. "I'm not sure if he pushed me out of trying to get out of the way or if that was his conscious thought" to save her, she said.
Smith and the other hikers are struggling with their friend's death. "I have to wonder why him. Why not one of us? We have all done a lot of thinking."
Another woman tried to push the rock off Buhr and injured her hand, Larkin said. The size of the rock made it impossible to move. The other two hikers in the group were uninjured, he said.
The injured woman left the group to find help and met hikers Mike and Elizabeth Purcell about midway down the trail. Mike Purcell went to help the others, while Elizabeth Purcell took the injured woman to Alta View Hospital. She was treated for minor injuries and released, Faulkner said.
The Purcells declined comment.
Sheriff's deputies were called about 1:32 p.m., Larkin said. Seventeen search and rescue team members hiked to the scene. They secured multiple ropes around the rock and applied 6,500 pounds of pressure to move the boulder 6 inches — enough room to remove the body, Larkin said.
"That rock could have moved anywhere — years ago or years in the future," he said.
This is the second time in a month that boulders caused injury to hikers in Utah recreation areas.
In April, Aron Ralston of Aspen, Colo., had his right arm pinned by an 800-pound rock while hiking outside of Canyonlands National Park. Ralston, who was alone, spent five days pinned there before amputating his own arm with a pocketknife. He hiked to safety and was rescued. He was hospitalized for a week in Grand Junction, Colo. Doctors were unable to reattach Ralston's arm.
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com