Man dies swinging from massive sandstone arch in Utah
DAN WHITCOMB, REUTERS
FIRST POSTED: MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2013 08:02 PM EDT | UPDATED: MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2013 09:36 PM EDT
Screencapture from a video of people attempting to rope-swing on the Corona Arch in Utah. (YouTube.com)
A 22-year-old man was killed over the weekend when he slammed into the base of a massive sandstone arch in eastern Utah while trying to swing through the rock formation on a rope, police said on Monday.
Kyle Lee Stocking apparently miscalculated the length of rope he used to swing from the 140-foot Corona Arch near Moab and suffered fatal injuries when he struck the rock on Sunday afternoon, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said in a written statement.
Stocking, of West Jordan, Utah, had hiked to the top of the red sandstone arch with five friends to rig a rope swing, the sheriff’s office said. His body was recovered by search and rescue teams.
The Salt Lake Tribune newspaper reported that Stocking and his friends might have been copying a stunt popularized by videos posted of the activity on YouTube.
In January, state officials barred outfitters from taking paying clients to the arch over concerns about rope swings, the newspaper reported.
Here is a video posted on YouTube of others rope-swinging on the Corona Arch
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