Horrified witnesses watched as a 12-year-old boy from Arizona was swept away to his death by a fast-moving Utah river.
The Utah County Sheriff's Department said it received a 911 call at roughly 1:45 p.m. on June 8, reporting that the boy, identified by his mother as Finnley Udall, had fallen into the Provo River in Provo Canyon along US Highway 189.
Law enforcement was immediately dispatched along with a search and rescue team, fire and EMS units from seven agencies and a medical helicopter to assist with the search.
Most of the fire personnel and search and rescue volunteers were swift water certified and spread out over more than a four-mile stretch of the Provo River, starting below Bridal Veil Falls.
There were several sightings of him as he swept down the river. One Pleasant Grove firefighter jumped into the river but was unsuccessful in securing the 12-year-old.
Several bystanders also jumped to save the Finnley but couldn't reach him.
As he passed underneath 800 North in Orem, another Orem firefighter jumped in and grabbed the boy using a rope to secure his equipment, as a UCSO SAR member held the rope to bring the firefighter and boy to the bank of the river.
Finnley was not breathing upon rescue and was immediately transported in an ambulance to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
His mother thanked everyone who helped in the rescue efforts in an Instagram post.
Lyndsay Udall said, "Finnley took up a lot of space wherever he went, and that empty space will never be filled. But he was the most loved boy that has ever walked on this earth, and lour lives will never be the same."
Her tributed continued, "He died how he lived his life-just skating on the edge of danger and loving every minute of it."
She asked people to sign a petition to have safety rails installed in high-risk areas.
