Grand Canyon, Ariz. - On Saturday, July 2, a three vehicle accident injured eight and temporarily closed Grand Canyon National Park’s South Entrance Road to all vehicular traffic.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center was notified of the incident at approximately 3:15 p.m. by a ranger who drove up on the scene.
According to witnesses, a car in the south-bound lane veered into the north-bound lane, colliding with two other vehicles. The incident occurred just inside the South Entrance station, necessitating the closure of both the South Entrance Road and the entrance station while patients were extricated and treated, the accident was investigated, and vehicles and debris were cleared.
Emergency responders from both Grand Canyon National Park and the gateway community of Tusayan, Arizona worked to extricate passengers from the vehicles and to stabilize the injured for transport. Seven patients were transported to Flagstaff Medical Center via ambulance, one was treated at the clinic and released.
The South Entrance to the park was closed for approximately one and one-half hours. All those who waited in line while the accident was cleared were given free entry into the park.
Grand Canyon National Park would like to thank the Tusayan Fire Department and Guardian Ambulance for their assistance. Including traffic management and information dissemination, approximately thirty park personnel were involved in the incident.
The National Park Service is conducting an investigation into the incident.
-NPS-
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
