Utah County Sheriff's Office – Provo Tribune: Local News for the Provo/Orem Area

Teen and Her Two Dogs Survive After Jeep Falls Into River

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_{By Charlie G. Patreus}

Last Sunday night, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office got an urgent call. A white jeep had accidentally driven off the road in Payson Canyon and into the river – a 20 foot drop. The car contained a 16-year-old girl and her two dogs. She was headed northbound out of the canyon.

In this crash, no signs of impairment are suspected or reported. The crash was likely due to speeding, but not by a drastic or reckless amount. The road exhibits tight curves, which could have contributed to the crash.

UCSO public information officer Sgt. Spencer Cannon said the car went forward 75 to 100 feet and landed upside down in the water. The young driver, Alison Kennedy, made it out safely with only minor scratches. Her dogs escaped as well.

“It looked initially like it could be really bad, but it turned out not to be as serious of a crash as it looked like it could have been,” Cannon said. He explained that the people behind Kennedy stopped to help and called 911. First responders arrived within ten minutes.

There is no railing on the side of the road, but crashes in that area are much less frequent than other, more narrow parts of Payson Canyon. However, many areas of the canyon don’t have a guard rail, and the roads are so narrow they don’t give enough room for both lanes of traffic.

The Utah Department of Public safety recommends driving below the posted speed limit in hazardous weather, at night, and when there is rough or windy terrain.

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Instagram Stunt Prompts Action at Bridal Veil Falls

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_{By Mike Romero}

A dangerous stunt at Bridal Veil Falls by skier, surfer, and skater Zach Blocker has prompted local government to take swift action up Provo Canyon.

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A large avalanche hit Bridal Veil Falls last January. Between 30 and 40 feet of snow crashed onto the frozen Provo River. While most of it has melted away, the icy remnants have formed caverns and cracks with access to the icy Provo River, which is at a dangerously high volume. Blocker found one such instance and used it to enter the river. While definitely not encouraged, Blocker’s video demonstrate just how strong and dangerous the Provo River currently is. The water was a mere 30 degrees.

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A post shared by Zachary Blocker (@zach__blocker)

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The video prompted local government to take action. Early Wednesday morning, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office cleared the snow block with explosives. Explosives have only been used twice in this area since 1996 to manage the large snowpack. The area remains closed until the remainder of the snow and debris is cleared.

“We didn’t make the area safe. We made it less dangerous. It’s trespassing if people come in here and we will take action on that if we need to,” says Spencer Cannon, public information officer for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s fascinating to see, we understand that, and that’s one of the things that attracts people to it. But it’s too risky to come down here to the area itself and especially to climb on the avalanche deposit. The main reason we did this today is to prevent somebody from getting seriously injured or killed by doing what this guy did last week.”

Photo of the detonation at Bridal Veil Falls, Courtesy Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

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