On June 21 at approximately 4:30 p.m. a call came into dispatch from Emery stating there was an ATV accident. Three friends were riding ATVs on the Wildcat Canyon road west of Emery, three-four miles west of SR-10. One of the boys rode ahead and the other two were following behind. The two riders behind were unable to locate the rider who had gone ahead. They then went back down the road and found the other rider at the bottom of a 130 plus foot cliff. They couldn’t reach him because of the cliff and ledges. They called to the boy but didn’t get any response. They then rode back into Emery where they were able to get cell phone service and called 911.
Further investigation leads the Emery County Sheriff’s Office to believe the young man was going too fast up the road to negotiate a sharp turn and he flipped over a cedar tree and then over the edge of the cliff.
The Emery ambulance responded to the scene along with deputies and Sheriff LaMar Guymon. The Emery County Search and Rescue and the high angle rope rescue team were among the first to arrive at the scene. Members of the rope team descended into the canyon and determined the young man had succumbed to his injuries from the fall. The young man was wearing a helmet and protective riding gear at the time of the accident. It took the recovery team several hours to set-up and descend to retrieve the deceased. The deceased male was identified as Solomon Jack Gardner, 17, of Emery.
He was in Emery for the summer staying with his family and also lives in Taylorsville. The family is building a home in Emery. The boy’s body has been sent to the medical examiners office.
Emery boy loses life in ATV roll-over
"Rescue workers work to recover the body of 17 year old Solomon Gardner who went over the cliff on his ATV."