Massive boulder gave woman rude awakening

When Scot Denhalter moved into a new rented home in St. George, Utah, last month, he told his wife, Wanda, that he was a little worried about the boulder-laden red rock ridge hovering above the backyard. Denhalter, feared that one day the rocks might loosen and come tumbling down upon them. "She said, ‘no it won't’," said Denhalter, 62.



Early on Saturday, those fears came true when a huge oblong rock barrelled down the hillside at about 3am crashing into the couple’s bedroom. The boulder, which is about 12 feet long, 9 feet high and 9 feet thick, smashed through the corner of the home, pushing the bed and other furniture more than 4 feet.



Wanda Denhalter, who was sleeping alone, narrowly missed being crushed under the rock. "I guess she heard the rumbling as it came down the hill and woke up," said Scot, who was staying at his son’s nearby home overnight. "She rolled away from the oncoming noise to my side of the bed. If she had decided to swing her legs over the side of the bed and get up to investigate, it would have killed her."


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Wanda, 63, was struck and injured - her jaw and sternum broken and a gash on her leg. Bleeding and in pain, however, she managed to get up and call 911. Doctors wired Wanda Denhalter’s jaw shut and sewed up her leg. She is expected to make a full recovery. "She’s very lucky," Scot said.