Woman Plucked From Waterfall Just In Time

Utah Hiker Was Stuck In Frigid Rushing Water Two Hours Before Rescue Chopper Arrived

(CBS)  To celebrate her little sister's birthday, Crystal Patterson took her and some friends to hike a mountainside waterfall near Salt Lake City.

But then, Crystal, 21, fell 10-12 feet down the waterfall, landing on a ledge, officials said.

She was, in essence, trapped there, clinging to the rocks, her feet in icy water racing past her.

Crystal's sister, Amanda, 16, called 911, but couldn't pinpoint their location.

A helicopter from CBS affiliate KUTV in Salt Lake City wound up spotting the group, and a specially-trained rescue team and chopper arrived some two hours after Crystal slipped.

All the while, Crystal knew that if she passed out, the waters would carry her away and she'd crash down the rocks.

And she was barely conscious and suffering from hypothermia when she was rescued -- her body temperature reportedly down to 93 degrees.

On The Early Show Thursday, Crystal and Amanda told their story to co-anchor Harry Smith, along with the man who actually pulled Crystal to safety, Kenneth Johnson of the Utah Country Sheriff Rescue Team.

To see the interview, along with dramatic footage of the rescue, click on the arrow in the image below.

[Gary Kempf]

She is very lucky.

[feddupp]

WoW! I am SO glad for her and her family. What a tragedy this could have been!
Bet she''ll NEVER forget this birthday!

[ciitzenusa]

Too bad McVet and SgtRDS didn''t fall down that waterfall.

[nssherlock1]

The Darwin Awards are NOT going to be happy with this, another candidate snatched away!

[jrk1964-2009]

Hats off to our first responders and good job KUTV !

[deacon20081]

My son is one of those first responders who save lives
God Bless them.
Glad the young lady is ok.

[nobdehom]

My he is HOT.....if I was her I would have kept hanging on to him after we reached safety!

[wasea73]

Kristal is actually my younger sister. She is a pretty experienced hiker/rock climber, and this was a just a freak accident. I am forever thankful for all those who helped her out in this situation. For the hiker''s who offered words of encouragement, for the first responders who risked their own lives, for the hospital personnel who helped her recover quickly, and for the countless others who played a vital role in her rescue and recovery. Thank you again!

[wasea73]

Kristal is actually my younger sister. She is a pretty experienced hiker/rock climber, and this was a just a freak accident. I am forever thankful for all those who helped her out in this situation. For the hiker''s who offered words of encouragement, for the first responders who risked their own lives, for the hospital personnel who helped her recover quickly, and for the countless others who played a vital role in her rescue and recovery. Thank you again!

[wasea73]

Trust me. She''s my sister. I think I know how to spell her name. Everyone, including my relatives, spell it wrong all the time. You can choose not to believe me, that''s your choice; but I promise you, she is my sister.

[tiffany_072]

Kristal is her name, and yes that is my older brother who commented below. All of the News reporters spelt her name wrong, not crystal or cristal. I''m the other sister, Tiffany, Stuck in the middle of kristal and mandy. We all are so thankful for everyones support and help. This was so tramatic for our family and i cry every time i see the video of her clinging to the rocks. I just wanted to scream out someone help her, it was so hard to watch, very much so when its your sister. This was a life changing experience and i''m so grateful for everyones help. Kristal is trying to find the a hiker that helped to keep her moving and kept pushing her to stay awake. If anyone know''s who this man is it would be great if she could meet with him. She is so thankful and says she would have givin'' up alot sooner if it wasn''t for him. The information she gave me was: a hiker, she thinks he was hiking with another women, possiably his wife, she said he had dark hair and had a GPS system which helped the rescues locate her in the waterfall. She said he looked alot like John Travolta. :) If ANYONE has an information on who this was, Please contact us ASAP [e-mail] or comment back on this page THANK YOU ALL AGAIN SO MUCH. ----The Patterson Family