Ranger dies after falling at Utah national park while on-duty
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GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah (KTVX) — A park ranger from Bryce Canyon National Park has died from his injuries after tripping and falling while on duty, according to the National Park Service.
Tom Lorig, 78, was working during Bryce Canyon's annual Astronomy Festival on Friday. According to the National Park Service, Lorig was directing a visitor to a shuttle bus around 11:30 p.m. MT when he fell and "struck his head on a large rock."
The visitor informed a nearby law enforcement ranger after finding Lorig unresponsive, NPS said.
"National park rangers, medically-trained bystanders, and local EMS personnel cooperated to provide initial life-saving care, but were unsuccessful in reviving Ranger Lorig," NPS explained in a press release.
Park Superintendent Jim Ireland said Lorig served as an interpretive park ranger who worked to facilitate connections between "the world and these special places that he loved."
“As our community processes and grieves this terrible loss, we extend our deepest condolences to all of Ranger Lorig’s family and friends," Ireland continued.
According to the National Park Service, Lorig served as a registered nurse in the Seattle area for 40 years and had been a park ranger in the permanent, seasonal and volunteer capacities for more than a decade.
Lorig first began working with the National Park Service in June 1968 at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. Since then, he had worked in 14 more national parks, including several in Utah.
"We also want to express gratitude to the National Park Service and Garfield County emergency services staff who responded as well as to the bystanders who assisted NPS first responders," Ireland said.