NSS Accident Report

[RedRoxx]

A while back got my edition of a couple of years of crashes and burns in caving. The usual stupidity and craziness, but a textbook self ( team) rescue in Lechuguilla stood out. A caver was setting up a new route when his protection blew out and he fell resulting in a compound radius and I think ulna fracture. It's sort of dry to read "he passed out a second time briefly when the arm was set". The team he was with got him out with the help of a second team, under mostly his own power, in a little over 24 hours. Some big ascents in that cave they were able to set up some sort of assist or haul for him to climb safely. This was better for the cave also as caves usually take a beating if a lot of rescuers with a backboard have to go in, etc.


Don't know if any of the cavers in there with him had SAR training, but a lot of cavers attend rescue/basic medical classes. Down here the grotto I belong to has quite a few members who also belong to SARA; the southern arizona rescue association.

Good job by all.

[Deathcricket]

Good to hear. Not to mention when the general public gets involved in a rescue they consider closing the cave down for one little accident. I think it's better the caving community police itself when it can. Same goes for the canyoneering community i think.

[canyoncaver]

I would like to say thanks to RedRoxx for the praise as I was expedition leader for the self-rescue you referenced. It is nice to hear that you thought our rescue stood out from the crowd.

We were fortunate to have two cavers with rescue training and experience on the team. I have Level 2 training from National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) and another guy on my team had Level 3. I cannot stress enough how much this training helped us to conduct the rescue. For example, we were able to set up a counter-balance haul system for the big drop at Boulder Falls. (150 ft.) I had just learned the technique two months before at the NCRC level 2 training. We made a few mistakes that we would do differently next time, but over all it was a very smooth self-rescue. The patient made it out from 1000 ft. underground in just over 13 hours. (It takes about 6 hours from that point for an uninjured caver.) Since the accident, two others on the team have pursued cave rescue training, and the experience inspired me to become a Wilderness First Responder. The experience was a real eye-opener for all involved. I now give preference to rescue and medically trained cavers when choosing personnel for the Lechuguilla expeditions that I lead.

You are correct that self-rescue is preferable to call-out rescue for cave conservation reasons. It is also usually a huge time saver. If you can get out on your own, DO IT! If you think that you will eventually need help, send someone out to make the call. In the meantime, any progress you can make toward the entrance makes it that much easier for the rescue team. This is exactly what we did, and we met the incoming rescuers at the entrance. It was really nice to hand over the patient to them at the entrance after such a long night.

We were fortunate to have six excellent cavers on the expedition. All contributed and made critical decisions throughout the operation. We were also fortunate that the patient is an extremely strong caver and was able to cave out with a horribly painful injury. It is sobering to note that his compound fracture resulted from only a five-foot fall.

I would encourage anyone interested in cave rescue or rope skills in general to take a course from NCRC. Their national seminar is in Mentone, Alabama this year on May 15-22. Here is the announcement: http://www.caves.org/ncrc/national/2010Seminar/seminar2010.htm

I will be going for Level 3 this year, hope to see you there!