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PROVO – Family of man struck by icefall in Bridal Veil Falls say he is lucky to be alive, but his recovery is complicated by being hundreds of miles away from is home.
The ice-framed waterfall in Provo Canyon is a popular bucket list item for visitors to Utah. Luis ‘Louii’ Santos decided to visit her on his trip to Utah from Yuma, Arizona.
He was impressed with the falls, and so much so that Louii Santos immediately texted his twin brother, Jose Santos, while he was walking in the area on April 7.
“‘I’m hiking, I’m near this waterfall,'” Jose Santos shared, of what his brother said in his post. “And he had actually sent me a picture of, you know, ‘I’m really happy, right by the waterfall.'”
Jose Santos said he texted back: “Be careful.”
The next communication Jose Santos received was a call that a piece of ice had crashed on Louii Santos’ head. Search and Rescue had to transport Louii Santos out of the area by helicopterand rush him to the hospital.
Jose Santos said his brother was unresponsive and in a comatose state.
“I tried to make sure, you know, ‘Is he close to death? Is he going to kill us? Or what’s going to happen?’ You know?” José Santos remembered what he asked the doctors. “But they told us it was pretty bad, the accident is pretty bad.”
Jose Santos said his brother suffered a fractured skull, brain hemorrhage, broken jaw and facial fractures. To make matters worse, Louii Santos’ entire family had to watch it unfold from out of state.
Jose Santos explained that he and his parents were able to drive from Arizona, but were unable to stay for the weeks that Louii Santos is expected to remain hospitalized here. He’s back home and getting daily updates on how his twin is doing.
Jose Santos warned of the importance of keeping the dangers in mind when visiting such a popular location and taking steps like staying on the trail.
He’s glad his brother is alive, Jose Santos just hates that his brother is going through this so far from home.
“He is doing very well, considering his condition,” said Jose Santos. “But there is still a lot of work to do.”
While the family hopes Louii Santos’ recovery will continue, Jose Santos added that with his out-of-state hospitalization, they expect the medical bills to really pile up.
They began to raise funds through a GoFundMe* to help Louii Santos pay those bills and return to Arizona to recuperate after he is released from the hospital.
*KSL.com does not guarantee that money deposited in the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons designated as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit into the Account, you should consult your own advisers and proceed otherwise at your own risk.
