1-year-old unhurt, man critical after falling 80 feet in Arizona

September 29, 2026 - 8:20 pm A 1-year-old child emerged unharmed while a man sustained critical injuries after a fall of roughly 80 feet during a rappelling attempt in the Virgin River Gorge, Arizona, according to the Beaver Dam‑Littlefield Fire District, which announced the incident via social media on Monday. Search‑and‑rescue crews were dispatched to the Ghost Valley Trailhead, near exit 18 of Interstate 15, after receiving a report that the toddler and an adult male had fallen. The site lies close to the Arizona‑Utah border, approximately 100 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Upon reaching the remote location, emergency personnel located the man with serious injuries. Crews spent about three hours extricating both the man and the child before transporting the man to St. George Regional Hospital for further care. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Washington County Search and Rescue all contributed to the rescue operation. Read the full story at Las Vegas Review-Journal →