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Justin Bingham, the 40-year-old CEO of software company Opiniion, died tragically on Saturday following a 200-foot fall while canyoneering at Zion National Park in Utah, park officials confirmed.
According to the National Parks Service, Bingham was rappelling near the exit of Heaps Canyon with three other climbers when the incident occurred around 6 p.m. Over 50 rescuers from multiple agencies, including the Zion National Park Technical Search and Rescue Team and the Washington County Sheriff's Office, responded to the emergency.
Despite swift extraction by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter, Bingham was pronounced dead at the scene before he could be transported to a hospital. The three other canyoneers were safely rescued the following morning.
"Justin was a visionary who believed in the power of genuine connections," Opiniion said in an official statement. The company's President and COO, Devin Shurtleff, added, "If you spent any time around him, he was the eternal optimist."
A Brigham Young University graduate, Bingham had built Opiniion into a successful property management software company, amassing an estimated net worth of $6 million. Beyond his business acumen, he was known for sharing his family life with his 60,000 social media followers and co-running a YouTube channel, "Life in Holland," which documented his family's journey, including raising a son with cerebral palsy.
Just weeks before the accident, Bingham and his wife Lindsay had celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary in Europe. In a poignant social media post, Lindsay had written, "Life has taken us on a wild and beautiful ride and I wouldn't want it with anyone else."
Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh expressed condolences, stating, "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time."
Bingham leaves behind his wife and four children. The family had recently moved into a $2.6 million home in Alpine, Utah. The exact cause of the fall remains under investigation by Zion National Park authorities and the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
