Utah CEO and family social media influencer dies after 200-foot fall in Zion National Park

SPRINGDALE, Washington County – On Saturday, a man suffered an accident in Zion National Park that ultimately killed him. Days later, he was identified as Justin Bingham, Utah CEO and family social media influencer.

Bingham, 40, was rappelling with three other people near the exit of Heaps Canyon around 6 p.m. Saturday when he fell between 150 and 200 feet, park officials said. The group was following its permitted route through Heaps Canyon when it fell, the park said.

A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter quickly flew Bingham to a helipad near Watchman Campground where he could be transferred to a Life Flight helicopter. There he received additional care from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue, but was pronounced dead before Life Flight could take off.

In total, more than 50 first responders from various rescue teams worked to keep him alive, according to Opiniion, a company led by Bingham.

Park officials said the three other canyoneering visitors Bingham was with were forced to stay in the canyon overnight and seek shelter because it was not safe for them to pull out after Bingham was abducted. They were given supplies for the night. Two were then recovered by the DPS helicopter on Sunday morning and the third was assisted by a search and rescue team in the canyon. Park officials did not say how the group knew Bingham or each other.

Justin Bingham and his wife Lindsay Bingham and four children. (Courtesy of the Bingham family)

The company made the announcement Monday, honoring Bingham and announcing a plan for an interim CEO.

“If you spent time with him, he was the eternal optimist. “Everything will always work out,” he often told me. But he was right and he usually was,” interim CEO Devin Shurtleff said. “Justin was not only a leader here at Opiniion, he was a mentor, a father and a friend to many of us. He believed that the relationships we build make this work meaningful, and he truly lived that every day.”

Bingham and his family were featured in a 2019 KSL-TV story in which Justin Bingham and his wife Lindsay Bingham shared the story of their son Landon, who has cerebral palsy. The family documented their life on YouTube on their channel “Life in Holland.”

A look at the Bingham family YouTube channel, Life in Holland. (Courtesy of the Bingham family)

The YouTube channel got its name from the story of a flight headed to Italy that was indefinitely diverted to Holland. Instead of making a fuss, the passengers made the most of the unexpected destination and enjoyed their time – much like the Bingham family viewed their son's cerebral palsy diagnosis; unplanned, but “beautiful, no matter what happens.”

Contributor: Dan Spindle and Shara Park, KSL TV