http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,380009772,00.html

Somebody probably captured that on tape.
I wonder if the crevice the truck landed will be named "lion's crack"?

wow...

moved to the side to let another vehicle coming up the trail pass

I guess we'd have to see it to understand better, but from what I've seen, how in the heck could one even find room for two vehicles to pass eachother (at least on the narrow steep part)?

Zoinks! Too bad they don't say what the SUV was that they were driving... they sound lucky to have come out of a head first 45-foot fall...

It was a Toyota 4 runner.

We were over at Potato salad hill when it happened. The road into slick rock was closed forever, they were letting people out but no one could get in.

I'm glad I left when I did.

I cringe when I hear stuff like that because you can be certain someone will try and make it illegal now.

Your probably right.

I must admit that I'm too chicken to drive Lions Back, but I'm sure there are plenty of other folks who feel the need to do it.

I've done Lions Back in our Xterra. I can't imagine letting ANYONE pass while driving up or down Lion's Back. There just isn't room to SAFELY have two vehicles pass each other until you get to the top.

I wonder what both parties were thinking...

Well they are awaiting alcohol results, which might explain a lot...

Not sure if this is supposed to be full-motion video or not, looks more like a series of stills put together, but there are some images of the scene:
Real Media file

Brent

I was talking to a friend who stayed at Lion's Back campground for the weekend and they said that they saw a video of it from sombody's camcorder so there is a video.

I'm sure it will show up on RealTV or MaxX in the next few months.

From another list:

Subject: Re: [JEEP-TJ] RE: Lion's back incident
Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2002 18:40:32 -0700

BettyAnn I don't mean to be a pain but I need to correct your information.
Lions Back is not closed. It is fenced off by a private landowner who wants to
control access. Most times when I've been there its been open and unlocked. In
the high season the landowner has the right to refuse you access but I've never
heard of him doing so or seen him doing so. He also has the right to charge you
to access his property. Utah law does not hold the landowner responsible for
what individuals do on his property without his permission so I doubt he worries
too much about people falling off of Lions Back. The accident did happen on
Lions Back which is a large sandstone fin. There is no such thing as the Lions
Back Trail. The trail you are describing is called Hells Revenge and you
accesses it via Little Lions Back. In previous years you could access it via
Dump Bump which is now fenced but not closed. The fence around Dump Bump is to
ensure riders of Hells Revenge pay their 5 bucks to the Sand Flats Assn.

The real story from those that witnessed it and also watched a video of it less
than an hour after it happened.
There were 4 individuals in a Pathfinder climbing Lions Back. 2 Jeeps started to
descend so the Pathfinder moved slightly to the right or north and stopped. The
Jeeps passed and the Pathfinder continued. At the top of Lions Back is a small
bump which they had a difficult time climbing. The driver punched it and bounced
to the right (remember he had already moved right to allow the Jeeps to pass).
At that point one of the passengers got out to help guide. The driver again
tried and again gave it too much gas when he bounced right off the north end of
Lions Back into a crack between Lions Back and Hells Revenge. No sandstone gave
away, they were not on Hells Revenge and they were not part of any organized
event taking place in Moab. That side of Lions Back is the "short" side. The
drop there is stepped by smaller fins and rubble. The most they could have
dropped was about 60'. They were lucky and landed on one of the smaller fins so
their drop was closer to 35'.

So that you understand I know Utah and its 4x4 trails. I'm the 4x4
representative on the Utah State OHV Council and past Vice President of Utah 4
Wheel Drive Assn. Local 4 wheelers have been working hard correcting the media
on this story. At first they reported the kids were on a Jeep Safari trail and
were participating in a Safari run. We've gotten them to correct that error but
we are still having a problem with the media understanding what the Jeep Safari
really is. Right now they think it is some sort of competition. Oh well, each
report gets a little better so I guess we'll keep trying.

By the way Lions Back Camp Park is for sale. You get a campground, Lions Back
and Dump Bump all for a measly 1.8 million. After paying all those bucks you
don't even own it, you've bought yourself a long term lease from the BLM.

Marsha

thats nuts... the spotter never even moved...

but by the second frame someone is jumping out of the white truck

Update:

"On Saturday afternoon, a 1991 Toyota 4-Runner with three occupants fell 60 feet off the top of the Lion's Back, a sandstone cliff that is a popular obstacle challenge for four-wheel-drive enthusiasts. Shortly after 4 p.m., 22-year-old Jamie Endow of Ogden, accidentally drove over the edge as he was attempting to descend the huge monolith. The vehicle plunged 45 feet, hit a wall, then fell another 15 feet before becoming lodged in a crevice. After scaling boulders and ascending a nearby crevice, rescue workers from Grand County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and the Sheriff's Office evacuated the driver and both passengers from the vehicle. They were transported by helicopter to area hospitals.

The driver received injuries to several limbs, and was treated and released from Allen Memorial Hospital. The passengers, Elizabeth Grogan, 19, of Tempe, Ariz., and Hailey Cutlip, 19, of Ogden were more seriously injured. Grogan suffered severe pelvic injuries, and Cutlip's arm was fractured in the crash. Both are reported in stable condition."

Taking the line to the right like that was plain dumb. Having a traffic/crossing situation on the face was even dumber still:

The reports said it's a Pathfinder, but I can clearly see that's a 4 Runner!? And I seeing things again?

SC

It's pretty obvious from the pictures that he was going up Lion's Back. Damn journalists.

You are not seeing things it is a 4Runner.

no.... everyone is clueless on the whole thing...

pathfinder/4runner
going up/coming down
passing/already passed/going to pass
pass on face/pass on top
drove off the edge/hit a bump and rolled

so heres the real deal.. form the pics

a 4runner was going up lions back and got into a horribly moronic situation where he was going to have to pass other vehicles on the face he was a moron and tried to go to the right even though the obvious line is to the left... at which point he hit a bump and rolled to the right 1 time before rolling right off the edge

Pretty sad the media can be so far off on something so simple. Really makes you wonder what we don't know about Sept. 11th.

You're not kidding. Look at his arms in the 3rd and fourth frame.

he had his arms at his sides... then he sees the truck starting to roll and just crosses his arms and watches...

Can someone screen capture that shitty Real Media clip and post some pictures ?

Honestly, there wasn't much he could have done and I'm sure he's in shock.
-chirs

at least the guy riding in the back of the white truck jumps out.... yeah hey could not have done anything but at least he didnt stand there and cross his arms