A 72-year-old Moab woman was seriously injured Tuesday, Dec. 4 in a one-car crash on Castle Valley Drive northeast of Moab. Judy Carroll suffered hip, leg and arm fractures and head injuries when her vehicle struck the guard rail near Castle Creek at the entrance to the town of Castle Valley, swerved off the road and became airborne before crashing into a 20-foot-deep arroyo, according to a witness.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office and emergency medical workers, Utah Highway Patrol and the Castle Valley Fire Department responded to the scene of the accident, which occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. Carroll’s late-model Kia was traveling south on Castle Valley Drive at the time of the crash.

Tom Noce, a Castle Valley resident who witnessed the accident, said he was walking home from the town mail boxes when he heard the crash behind him and turned to see the Kia scrape along the guard rail about 30 feet then abruptly swerve across the road in his direction. Noce said the Kia did not slow down before it struck a shallow bar ditch on the opposite side of the road and was launched into the air before landing on the far side of the deep arroyo. The vehicle first landed on its roof and then bounced back on the wheels facing the opposite direction in the bottom of the arroyo, according to Noce.

Noce called for help and descended through the brush to render assistance. Nearby resident Merrill Brady said he heard the commotion but saw nothing until Noce reappeared from the arroyo and asked him to call 911.

Emergency personnel removed Carroll from the vehicle and transported her to the road where an ambulance was waiting to take her to a Life Flight helicopter that had been dispatched from St Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo. The medical helicopter had to land in the parking lot of the LDS Church a short distance away. As of Wednesday morning, she was listed in stable condition.