PROVO, Utah — A hiker was critically injured Thursday when a chunk of ice fell on his head at Bridal Veil Falls. He was rescued by a Utah County search and rescue team with help from a LifeFlight helicopter crew.

Sergeant Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office says the man suffered a depressed skull fracture. He was unconscious when the rescue team moved him to an area on the mountainside where the helicopter crew was able to reach him with their hoist.

KSL-TV reports they brought him down to a medical team in the parking lot near the falls and then flew him to the hospital, where he was reportedly in critical condition.

“One of the things we see this time of year is melting ice and snow,” Sgt. Cannon told KSL NewsRadio. “You have rocks that have been loosened because of freezing and thawing, they come down.”

One member of the rescue team was hit by falling rock during the operation but was not seriously hurt.

Sergeant Cannon urged hikers to be prepared as they head into areas such as Bridal Veil Falls, taking precautions such as wearing helmets.

“We wouldn’t tell people ‘don’t go to these areas,’ but you have to at least consider what the risks might be and maybe wait a few weeks when some of that loose material that is coming down now might not be coming down as much.”

“People who go out hiking or climbing or even walking in certain areas need to be aware of those sorts of things,” Cannon said.

Related reading:

• Search and rescue teams help hiker who fell 30 feet at Bridal Veil
• Bridal Veil Falls hiker identified as man from Roosevelt, Utah