NPS laments the death of a ranger who fell at Bryce Canyon in Utah while performing their duties.

The injuries a 78-year-old ranger at Bryce Canyon National Park suffered after he stumbled and fell while performing his duties claimed his life. Around 11:30 p.m., Tom Lorig was assisting park visitors and pointing them in the direction of a shuttle bus at Bryce Canyon’s annual Astronomy Festival. According to a news statement from the National Park Service, he fell on Friday and hit his head on a big rock. When a visitor saw that Lorig was unresponsive, they promptly informed a law enforcement ranger. Although they gave Lorig some initial life-saving care, park rangers, medically trained bystanders, and local EMS workers were unable to revive him, according to the NPS.As a 40-year veteran of the NPS, Lorig worked as a volunteer, seasonal, and permanent park ranger in addition to her role as a certified nurse in Seattle. After starting his career in June 1968 at Carlsbad Caverns National Park,

he worked for the National Park Service at 14 other national park sites: Badlands, Bryce Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, El Malpais, Florissant Fossil Beds, Glen Canyon, Klondike Gold Rush, Mount Rainier, New River Gorge, Olympic, Saguaro, Yosemite, Zion, and Dinosaur National Monument, “of which he was especially fond,” according to the NPS.

Park Superintendent Jim Ireland said in a statement that Tom Lorig worked as an interpretive park ranger for Bryce Canyon, the National Park Service, and the general public, “forging connections between the world and these special places that he loved.” “We send our sincere condolences to Ranger Lorig’s family and friends as our community comes to terms with and mourns this terrible loss.”