Bryce Canyon National Park ranger dies after tripping, falling
UNSPECIFIED - FEBRUARY 07: High angle view of rock formations on a landscape, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA (Photo by DEA / W.BUSS/De Agostini via Getty Images)
GARFIELD COUNTY, Utah - The National Park Service said a park ranger at Bryce Canyon National Park died after tripping and falling while on duty Friday.
The victim, 78-year-old Tom Lorig, was working with park visitors at the annual Astronomy Festival. Authorities said while he was directing visitors to a shuttle bus, Lorig fell and struck his head on a large rock before becoming unresponsive.
A bystander alerted another park ranger. First responders arrived and unsuccessfully tried to revive Lorig.
RELATED: Boy, 12, dies after falling into swift-moving Utah river while vacationing with family
"Tom Lorig served Bryce Canyon, the National Park Service, and the public as an interpretive park ranger, forging connections between the world and these special places that he loved," Park Superintendent Jim Ireland said in an online news release, "As our community processes and grieves this terrible loss, we extend our deepest condolences to all of Ranger Lorig’s family and friends. 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."
The park said Lorgin had served 40 years as a nurse in the Seattle area and volunteered as a park ranger for more than a decade.
He started his work with the National Park Service at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in June 1968. He also worked at 14 parks, including Badlands, Bryce Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, El Malpais, Florissant Fossil Beds, Glen Canyon, Klondike Gold Rush, Mount Rainier, New River Gorge, Olympic, Saguaro, Yosemite, Zion, and Dinosaur National Monument.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.