Family rescues woman from fiery crash in Middle Fork Canyon

MIDDLE FORK CANYON, Utah — A family spending time in Middle Fork Canyon on Saturday was able to help save a woman’s life.

Troy Parkin and his family were unloading their car near a campsite when he said everyone’s attention turned to a car moving quickly up the canyon.

“All of a sudden we heard you know, you can hear cars going up and down the road,” Parkin told KSL NewsRadio. “But this car sounded like it was in a race. And it was going extremely fast up the canyon.”

Parkin said that as the group looked toward the sound of the car, they saw it.

“All of a sudden I believe the Jeep Liberty, come flying through the air across the road down an embankment like a berm and hit that and it flew the car up into the trees.”

As soon as the accident happened, Parkin said he and his brother were on their mini-bike and four-wheeler in the direction of the accident. By the time they got there, the car was on fire.

LeAnn Groves was inside. Parkin said she was in bad shape, her legs pinned by the pedals and steering wheel, her torso was draped over the dashboard and she was leaning into the passenger seat.

Parkin said he was eventually able to yank the door open and pull the injured woman from the car right before it exploded.

That’s when two other people came running to help.

“My wife, Kristen, and my sister-in-law, Bobby, they were running towards me,” Parkin said, “had blankets and jackets and everything possible that we could lay her down on and we laid her down on the ground.”

Parkin said his brother drove down the canyon to look for cell phone service. In the meantime, Parkin and the two women were talking to Groves.

They asked if she had kids and if she believed in God. And Parkin said at that point, he gave her a priesthood blessing which is associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Parkin and his family said they stayed by Groves’ side until rescue units arrived. A LifeFlight Helicopter and two officers who were on their way home were able to respond within minutes.

Groves is recovering at the University of Utah Hospital.

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