Possibly cardiac or respiratory arrest. Very sad.
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Possibly cardiac or respiratory arrest. Very sad.
Tragic ending: the man trapped in a cave dies
November 26th, 2009 @ 6:47am
By Anne Forester
UTAH COUNTY -- After being trapped in the Nutty Putty Caves for more than 27 hours, John Jones died Thursday morning, shortly after midnight.
Efforts to pull him from the cave were continuing when he passed away. The exact cause of his death is uncertain at this time, though officials say Jones had been experiencing difficulty maintaining consciousness and breathing. They say there are so many factors involved, that they just can't pose what the actual cause was.
Rescuers had been communicating with Jones throughout Wednesday and into the night, but after several hours of not hearing from him, rescuers determined that he had died.
Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Eldon Packer told KSL, "We were able to get somebody close enough to him that they were able to check some vital signs and other things and determine he had passed away."
The area where Jones is trapped is very narrow -- about 10 inches high and 18 inches wide. Sheriff's deputies say they literally cannot get a rescuer in close enough to free Jones. They way Jones is positioned inside the cave is making it hard for crews to pull him straight out.
"It's extremely difficult. The last several hours they've actually been using the pneumatic tools to try and break the rock away and other things so they can enlarge the hole enough that they can get in and actually remove him," Packer said.
Because of the dangerous spot where Jones is lodged, rescuers left for the night to get some rest before returning in the morning to try and retrieve his body.
"The individuals who were there, the terms that were used, is that we've never seen anything this technical, this tough," Packer said. said Jones had had trouble maintaining consciousness and breathing Wednesday night.
Wednesday evening, rescue crews suffered a setback after nearly having Jones free.
Cannon said Wednesday, "They had him to a level spot where he wasn't heading downhill with his head below his feet. During the course of that, they have a raising system to hold him in position, and one of the devices of that system failed, and Mr. Jones actually fell back to the area where he had been stuck for so long."
Jones became trapped at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
That sucks.... I really thought they would get the guy out.
No Joke - Total shocker :popcorn:Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
This is not the outcome I had expected. I feel bad for his family.
This is a good reminder to all of us who like to go and do the unconventional be it caving, mountaineering, canyoneering etc If you feel for even a moment you are getting outside your ability....stop.....evaluate....and reconsider. we all take risks but we need to make sure that they are manageable risks and chosen well. If we don't have the skills to pull off what we want to do we need to take the time to get them (not saying he didn't).
No kidding; I was stunned when I got up this morning and read that. What an awful thing for his family to have to deal with on Thanksgiving.
Terrible news. I am shocked too. Condolences to the family. Not much you can say other then you feel for them.
shocked didn't expect it to be that serious until I saw the update last night that it became worse around 10pm. thought I was going to read a rescue story. Was hoping this morning would be a better update.
Tragic. Really had high hopes for a happy ending to this.
Even that guy in the news last night, who had been trapped in there 10 years ago, seemed sure that this would end well.
Not that I'm blaming anyone, but I'm interested to know what device it was that failed last night and allowed him to slip back into his predicament after so many hours of struggle by so many rescuers.
Condolences to family and friends.
edit: reports state it was an anchor failure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Don
Condolences to family and friends not the best way or time. Know someone that lost a father on father's day in a tradic accident while he was driving to her home for a father's day party. Every year it was reminder of the worse day in her life. I hope that they can find peace eventually.
Man dies after being trapped in cave nearly 28 hours
November 26, 2009
UTAH COUNTY -- There has been a tragic end to a Thanksgiving vacation caving expedition. Medical student John Jones was pronounced dead late last night after being trapped in a Utah County cave more than 27 hours.
"We were able to send one of our cavers in close enough to him," said Sgt. Eldon Packer of the Utah County Sheriff's Office. "They were able to check him and determine he did pass away."
Hundreds of search and rescue workers were in the midst of their second exhausting night, trying frantically to pry John Jones loose from Nutty Putty Cave. Just before midnight they realized he was dead.
"We all were very optimistic and hopeful. But it became increasingly clear last night after he got re-stuck that there weren't very many options left," Jones' brother, Spencer Jones, 30, of San Francisco, told The Associated Press.
The rescuers never saw much more than his feet and ankles. They were agonizingly close, but they just couldn't pull him out. Since Tuesday night, they struggled against the unforgiving topography of Nutty Putty Cave.
"We've never seen anything this technical, this tough, to get in and get this person out," Packer said.
The rescuers had to squeeze through narrow, twisting passageways. Jones' feet were sticking out, his head down, his body completely plugging a narrow tunnel 10 to 14 inches wide.
"Where he is trapped, he is on a bend," Packer said. "So there's no way to really get a hold on him to be able to pull directly straight back."
"It was very agonizing on this particular search," said State Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, who has been a volunteer search and rescue worker for 30 years. The problem rescuers could not overcome was a small lip of rock at a critical bend in the narrow tunnel.
"The lip basically captured the center part of his body," Valentine said, "so that as you pulled against it, you were pulling like against a fish hook. It would hang up just underneath the rib cage, against the lip that was in the narrow part of the cave."
Rescuers bolted a pulley system into the rock for more leverage. That moved Jones a little ways, until a bolt failed, according to Sgt. Spencer Cannon of the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
"A roof anchor gave way, causing him to fall back down into the area where he had been stuck previously," Cannon said.
It's not known if that setback contributed to Jones' death. The trapped man had trouble breathing for hours. Sometime before midnight his vital signs stopped and rescuers exited the cave.
"We thought he was in the clear and then when we got the news that he had slipped again. That's when we started to get scared," Spencer Jones said.
"We have to be very careful," Cannon said. "It's very dangerous down there, as is evidenced by the fact that we've had, five years ago we had, two within a week almost in the exact same spot."
He had a wife and 8-month-old daughter and was a second-year medical student at the University of Virginia.
Spencer Jones said the family of five boys and two girls was close, and his brother was a wonderful person.
"He would have done anything for you, so that's what makes it even harder. It's senseless," he said.
After those earlier incidents, authorities considered closing the cave. Instead they allowed a caving group to manage it. Now the option of sealing it off is back on the table.
"No one's in a position to hastily do that at this juncture, but we want to discuss that seriously tomorrow," said Kim Christy, assistant director of the Utah School & Institutional Trust Lands Administration, which owns the land where the cave is located.
Meanwhile, officials still aren't sure how to recover the body and return it Jones' loved ones.
"Part of the problem," Cannon said, "is that the only real options we have are those that were employed yesterday that just weren't working."
Meetings are planned for Friday to discuss the future of the cave and the body recovery effort, a grim assignment for many people on this holiday weekend.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=481&sid=8810404
[b]Cops: Rescue equipment didn't fail
Tragedy
it's not fair to speculate on exactly what happened, but the fact an anchor failed only makes this even more tragic. here's a few shots from KSL, one showing the anchor. if this is in fact the anchor, there is obviously not any redundancy on the actual anchor itself.
more here: - http://www.ksl.com/?sid=8810404&nid=460
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs
When I saw the picture and read the description I wonder if the mechanical advantage force loads caused the failure (just speculation, seams a possible explanation)? I would think at times there were a lot force loads in that system.
A couple months ago I was talking to Bo and he mentioned in Zion SAR they used two anchors: one for the raise/lower and another for the belay (not sure if that
Sad and unfortunate. Carpy, that photo looks as if the bolt is loaded entirely in tension and none in shear. It wouldn't take too much force to pop it right out.
[quote=trackrunner]
When I saw the picture and read the description I wonder if the mechanical advantage force loads caused the failure (just speculation, seams a possible explanation)? I would think at times there were a lot force loads in that system.
A couple months ago I was talking to Bo and he mentioned in Zion SAR they used two anchors: one for the raise/lower and another for the belay (not sure if that
That bolt should have been put in the side wall with out a doubt. not to mention there should probly be 2 of them equalized on the side wall.
I would think considering how crucial that main lift point is that redundancy would mean more then one bolt. Obviously the back up belay doesn't do much when it's crucial that there is no backward movement, they probly should have been using a static line for the belay (I'm just assuming it wasnt since he slid back what seems like a decent amount).
Sad indeed, I had a feeling it might end that way. Because of that I couldn't believe all the crap comments that were posted up in a joking manner during the efforts. I always worry about getting into that perdiciment myself when I'm squeezing my way back into some tight twisting conveluted worm hole deep in the caves here in crawlarado, essentially on our own as help is way too far away. I can think of atleast 2 places I did not go because of this, and I've only been caving for a year.
Cops: Cave rescue equipment didn't fail
[snip]The equipment used in the attempted rescue did not fail, Cannon said. It was a failure of the rock where the apparatus was anchored, he said. The rope system rescuers used was highly reliable and included redundant parts for extra safety, he said. [/snip]
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13873501
my interpretation is that this means the bolt pulled...Quote:
Originally Posted by trackrunner
again, speculation in this case is just that. i know some will find this demeaning to the SAR and the victim. i hope it does not come across like that.
x2Quote:
Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs
I'm been in that section of the cave, its very tight and very little room for SAR to work in. Placing any bolt would be very difficult. Placing a bolt in an ideal location was probably impossible.
This really sucks.
Officials halt efforts to remove body from cave
November 27th, 2009 @ 2:39pm
By John Hollenhorst
UTAH COUNTY -- Officials announced Friday they had called off any further efforts to remove the body of a man who got trapped in the Nutty Putty Cave. They also said the cave would be permanently closed.
"The decision has been made that there will be no further effort to remove John Jones' body from the Nutty Putty Cave, said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office during an afternoon press conference.
John Jones died late Wednesday night after being trapped in the caves for more than 27 hours. Rescuers worked furiously to get him out -- but in the end ran out of time.
Cannon said Jones' body was stuck in an unnamed passageway about approximately 100 feet down and 400 feet from the entrance of the cave. They initially said he was stuck in an area known as Bob's Push, which turned out to be incorrect. Cannon said the area was too dangerous and the risk too high for recovery efforts to continue.
"Where he is trapped, he is on a bend, so there's no way to really get a hold on him to be able to pull directly straight back," said Sgt. Eldon Packer with the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Officials also announced a decision to permanently close all access to the Nutty Putty Cave. They did not say how they planned to seal it off yet.
The announcement came after a meeting early Friday, which included Jones' family. Cannon said the decision was reached with the family's input.
Crazy!
I feel much worse for his family not being able to give him a proper burial then I do for the loss of the cave. It really is very tragic.
wow. i'm literally speechless. :eek2:
Dang, it just keeps getting worse, even after he's passed away.
Yeah apparently...Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
:ne_nau:
I cant imagine being stuck in there. It must have been awful for this poor guy. I am not sure who had it worse, him or his family. I am semi-claustrophobic and I cant imagine what he was going through. Of course his family and poor wife on the surface and to have him never come out must have been traumatic. My prayers are with the family and rescuers. I just cant imagine what they went through. Horrible.
Wow, so now with Nutty Putty being closed, I wonder if they will backhoe the cave with tons of dirt, making it a memorial? That would be the logical thing, next to recovering his body that is.
Wow, that's so sad.
Oh man...... this thing has really put a cloud over Thanksgiving. I have been following this since the start like most of you. I am so sad for this family and now not to have a body to bury. It is truly amazing just how perfectly bad this whole thing turned out. So sad.
Just out of curiosity where exactly was he stuck? Is Bob's push before or after the birth canal? Is it the squeeze right before you get into that room where the birth canal starts (i.e. the room where you climb throuh the hole in the ceiling to get up into the canal)
Inital cave rescuers said that John was in Bob's Push, but then later retracted that and said that he was in a "unmapped" area in that same area.Quote:
Originally Posted by tallpaul
Made national news
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...s_of_life.html
Utah cave to entomb spelunker
Tragedy
I'm really against sealing the cave, I can understand sealing the finger he is trapped in if body recovery is not possible, but sealing the entire cave is a crime to me. To me caves are a natural treasure and should not be destroyed.
So.... If a climber falls from the top of Delicate Arch should we bulldoze the arch so others will not die going somewhere they don't belong? I'm sure that I am perching to the choir when I say the outdoors are dangerous and people are going to die playing in the outdoors, it is to be expected.
:soapbox:
I agree with you Shane. I feel like a jerk for having the thought but I hate that other people's recklessness or even just bad fortune results in everyone else losing out.
Again, I feel horrible for this guy and his family but people are going to get hurt no matter what you do. In this case the guy was more likely to die on the drive out there than he was in the cave. Should we outlaw cars? That woman died yesterday on Delicate Arch. Should we destroy every trail or mountain that is dangerous? I could go on with my rant here but in the end, I feel like sealing off the part where his body is located is a much better option than the whole cave.
"Ditto" - from The Choir.
The quote from Josh Jones: But "we feel it would be John's will to protect the safety of future cavers," he said.
Really? He got to do it, and got over his head, so you assume that he would not want others to be able to enter even the easier parts of the cave?
By all means, close off the area he's in (for the simple fact that there are people morbid enough to go hunt for him - and, of course, he will be decomposing for a while, which is an ugly but inescapable fact) but leave the rest open.
It was a memorial for a young man left trapped in a Utah County cave after his death in a spelunking accident, but John Jones' family on Saturday found itself comforting those who had tried to save him.
While recounting his son's commitment to his church and his faith in spiritual redemption after death, father Leon Jones implored search-and-rescue team members not to despair. He asked for a show of hands from the rescuers, and called them "part of our family."
"It was John's time to go. You were not meant to be successful on this one," Leon Jones said. "We love you and we're so thankful for you."
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13885805?source=rss
Or someone falling off Angel's Landing...Quote:
So.... If a climber falls from the top of Delicate Arch should we bulldoze the arch so others will not die going somewhere they don't belong? I'm sure that I am perching to the choir when I say the outdoors are dangerous and people are going to die playing in the outdoors, it is to be expected.
get his body out. if it means going in with a jackhammer and 700' of air hose, so be it, chisel away. i'm sorry he died and feel for his family, but i hate to see it be a situation where one guy screws it up for everyone else. closing the cave seems like such a lame and kneejerk reaction.
This came from a rescuer from the site:
"The press coverage has been very accurate, especially considering that they could not see really any of what was going on. I would like to clear up one thing however. Several news outlets have reported that John was "free" and then the rigging failed, sending him back to where he started. This is incorrect. When the redirect popped, John was still several hours from being "free". I estimate he was probably 2 hours of hauling and squeezing from where he would have been able to sit up. The haul systems ran through a twisting passage, requiring pulleyed redirects at each corner, four in all. As far as I can tell, the last one was set up on a natural anchor. It was very near the patient, one bend beyond where I could fit. I believe it was the anchor itself that blew, not the rope or cord as reported. The rescuer was actually hit in the face with two rescue pulleys and two carabiners.
While this setback was definitely the turning point of the rescue, John probably lost about two feet of progress as a result. Rescuers had already moved him a ways up the passage in the 15 or so hours before this. He was still a long way from being free, even without the blowout. Once the rigging was rebuilt with better anchors, by this time John was too exhausted to help us, rendering the setup useless. We were hauling him into a tight spot, with only his feet visible. He was head-down for 24 hours, with no way to turn him, and the clock beat us."