Mapleton man seriously injured in ATV accident

MOAB — A Mapleton man was seriously injured after falling off an embankment while riding an ATV.

The Grand County Sheriff's Office said the accident happened Saturday on Onion Creek road when Tim Anderson, 44, accidentally drove his four-wheeler off the edge of an embankment.

"The driver was in good spirits after the 35-foot fall off of a nearly vertical cliff," Grand County Sheriff Jim Nyland said in a statement. "Driver landed in the creek and was unconscious for approximately one minute prior to his son reaching him."

Sheriff's deputies, the BLM, and search and rescue teams transported the man, who suffered severe chest and hip injuries. He was flown by medical helicopter to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo. The man was spared additional injuries because he was wearing a helmet, Nyland said.

— Ben Winslow