Four people roped together as they descended a steep snow slope were injured in Rocky Mountain National Park on Tuesday, park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said.
The accident, which involved three members of a family — a father, his daughter and son — and a guide from the Colorado Mountain School, occurred about 2½ miles from the Bear Lake Trailhead.
The first person in the group lost his footing, causing the rest of the group to tumble about 300 to 400 feet.
They were unable to stop their fall until they hit the rocks at the bottom of a deep gully, Patterson said.
Rangers were notified by cellphone of the fall around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday. The first rescuers reached the climbers at about 4 p.m.
The two most seriously injured were carried out on litters. Steve Johnson, 40, the Colorado Mountain School guide from Boulder, suffered a broken leg, and a 15-year-old juvenile from Greenwood Village suffered deep bruises to the neck.
The other two climbers suffered bumps, bruises and strains, said Patterson.
The 15-year-old was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Medical Center and released Wednesday morning.
Friends took Johnson to the medical center, where he was treated and released late Tuesday night.
Patterson said the rescue involved 30 park staff and Larimer County Search and Rescue personnel.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
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