Day/date: Monday, April 14, 1986

NEWS RELEASE                                                 u.s. department of the interior
                           national park service

K3415 (ZION-R)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                   Harold L. Grafe

April 14, 1986                                                           (801) 772-3256

                     FATAL ACCIDENT IN ZION NATIONAL PARK

Zion National Park Superintendent Harold L. Grafe reports that an
April 11 accident occurring in the park has resulted in the death of a 35
year old Colorado City, Arizona man.

According to Grafe, J.F.C. sustained multiple injuries when the
bicycle he was riding struck the south wall of the Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel.
J.F.C., H.B., H.B., and G.B., all of Colorado City,
rode into the east tunnel entrance at approximately 3:15 Friday afternoon.
A short distance inside the tunnel, J.F.C., who was riding in the back of the
group, crossed the oncoming lane of traffic and collided with the concrete
wall.

At the scene of the accident J.F.C. was attended to by a physician, a
registered nurse and park ranger emergency medical technicians.  J.F.C. was
transported by ambulance to the Dixie Medical Center in St. George, and later
airlifted to Valley Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.  At approximately
11:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 13, J.F.C. died, the result of injuries sustained
in the accident.

                                NPS
              Zion National Park • Springdale, Utah 84767