On Thursday, Nov. 28, at approximately 11:58 a.m., the Emery County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a 37-year-old woman who said she had broken her leg while hiking in Little Wild Horse Canyon. Jumping into action, the Emery County Search and Rescue team sacrificed what was supposed to be their holiday break to find the woman.

Battling freezing temperatures, the SAR team hauled their gear almost to the top of the canyon. It was here where they were able to locate the woman, who had broken her lower right leg. Acting quickly, SAR members provided first aid to the injury before preparing the woman for transport.

Walking over a quarter mile away from where they found her, the SAR team battled rough terrain and weather conditions to find a landing zone for a Classic Air Medical helicopter. Once they did, the woman was loaded into the vehicle before being medevaced to a hospital.

“These rescuers put themselves in very difficult and dangerous places to help others when they should have been home dealing with a food coma and cheering on the Lions or Bears, the Giants or Cowboys, or the Dolphins or Packers,” said Emery County Sheriff Tyson Huntington,” Instead of resting from their labors for a few hours and dozing off in the Lazy Boy, they are wading through waist deep freezing water doing their best to remember to lift with their legs instead of their backs … I think I can speak for everyone and say we are thankful for these rescuers and their families who sacrificed Thanksgiving Day to serve others.”