THISTLE, Utah (ABC 4 News) – A 21-year-old Orem man fell to his death while trespassing in a drainage pipe in Spanish Fork Canyon late Tuesday night.
Getting there from the highway is nearly impossible and making it past the gates and all the no trespassing signs seems just as difficult, but 21-year-old Ammon Latham and a female friend did just that.
Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said deputies received a 911 call from Latham’s friend about 1:25 Wednesday morning reporting the accident. “They heard a noise,” said Cannon. “He walked away to investigate and she heard him scream or yell and then she heard him fall or heard him land after the fall.”
It’s unclear if Latham stumbled off the pipe or just walked of the end of the tunnel. The drop, Cannon says, is about 80 to 100 feet.
When paramedics arrived Latham was barely alive. He died a short time later after being taken by helicopter to University Hospital.
The draining pipe is inside the Utah County Sheriff’s Office gun range. There are gates and no trespassing signs at the entrance and more gates and trespassing signs at the mouth of the pipe. Cannon said, “We certainly wouldn’t have anticipated that people would trespass as frequently as they do. We’ve had a few injuries over the years but nothing at this level.”
Cannon says the department, or whoever oversees the property, may look into placing some sort of barrier on the other end of the drainage pipe.
