AMERICAN FORK — A Spanish Fork man was airlifted to a local hospital after falling 40 feet and suffering injuries in American Fork Canyon.

Sean Cox, 40, was showing a group of Boy Scouts rock climbing techniques near the Grey Cliffs area, located about a mile past Timpanogos Cave, when his belay line failed to catch when he slipped.

"He slipped and the device was not locked and so he fell," Sgt. Eldon Packer of the Utah County Sheriff's office said. "The individual helping him actually received burns to his hand trying to arrest his fall as he came down, but as he came down he actually struck his head on the wall."

Cox was wearing a helmet, Packer said, crediting it for preventing further injury. His condition was not immediately known.

The fall is the second of a hiker in two days.

Saturday a rock climber died after falling 70 feet while climbing at Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon. Packer said rock climbing is a dangerous sport where things like this happen.

"It's something you need to pay constant attention to and make sure everything is in good working order," Packer said. If they climb for a while, eventually they're going to slip."