SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — A man in his early 20s is in critical condition after driving a motorcycle off the roadway and down an embankment in Big Cottonwood Canyon Thursday night.
The crash happened around 9 p.m. near 7400 E, in the Moss Ledge area, east of the canyon's S-curve.
Witnesses told police two motorcyclists were riding together when one of them missed a curve.
Rescue crews used a rope hoist system to lift the man to the roadway.
"[Unified] Fire requested a medical helicopter, so AirMed was called in. AirMed landed above us in the canyon where it's a little flatter area and safer for the helicopter. And so we transported the patient by ambulance from here up to the landing zone, and then from there he'll be transported to University Hospital in critical condition," said Lt. Paul Barker, Unified Police Department.
Police said the man had not been wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Investigators are looking into the man's riding experience and the potential presence of ice on the road as contributing factors in the crash.
