Pine Creek: SAR in Zion

[tanya]

Bo was on this one....



SLC Tribune



An injured climber was rescued in Zion National Park this morning after falling while rappelling the night before.
Park spokesman Ron Terry said the 47-year-old man, whose identity was not released, was canyoneering with a partner in Pine Canyon Monday evening, adjacent to the mile-long Zion Tunnel, when he fell 30 feet.
Terry said the victim's partner notified park officials about the accident just before 8 p.m. Monday. The injured man was stabilized at the scene later that night and was rescued by park rangers about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Rescuers hauled the victim up a cliff face in a stretcher and brought him in through a window cut in the Zion Tunnel to a waiting ambulance. Terry said it appeared the man suffered leg and pelvis injuries in the fall. The victim was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.
Terry said he did not know the cause of the accident.
In June, a 48-year-old California man died after falling 300 feet while rappelling near the Emerald Pools area of the park.
Also in June, a 53-year-old St. Louis man died when he fell 1,000 feet while hiking the popular Angels Landing trail.




Another article

Desert News



ZION NATIONAL PARK

[Alex]

Bummer, hope he recovers fast. At least he is there to tell the story! 30 feet is high enough to kick the bucket, the article didn't say anything about the head injury, so he must have been wearing a helmet

After my little fall in Das Boot, I am a true believer in helmets now.

[Bo_Beck]

[quote="tanya"]Bo was on this one....


He was wearing a helmet.
A picture showing the type of highline with a reeve we used yesterday. Hope to actually get some photos from the rescue yesterday. This photo was taken a few years ago during training, but from the exact location.

[tanya]

A friend of his posted an update on his well being in the Zion Yahoo Group...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zion_N.../message/43988

[tanya]

[quote="Bo_Beck"]

Bo was on this one....


He was wearing a helmet.
A picture showing the type of highline with a reeve we used yesterday. Hope to actually get some photos from the rescue yesterday. This photo was taken a few years ago during training, but from the exact location.

Thanks Bo! I always love your INSIDE info!!!!

[rockgremlin]

That last rap out of Pine Creek....it can be a white knuckler fo sho. Sounds like not enough friction, and got going too fast...

Glad to hear he is doing well!

[Bo_Beck]

That last rap out of Pine Creek....it can be a white knuckler fo sho. Sounds like not enough friction, and got going too fast...

Glad to hear he is doing well!

He was a pretty big boy Too!

[Iceaxe]

I also like hearing the SAR side of the story.

[Bo_Beck]

I also like hearing the SAR side of the story.

The highline was set up yesterday by firing a 308 line gun
from the tunnel window to the Canyon Overlook buttress and ferrying
ropes back and forth to set up a single track kootenay highline. We
used taglines connected to a carriage system to affect horizontal
travel. We also implemented an Norwegian reeve. The taglines allowed us
to position the carriage with litter and attendant directly over the
patient (at the bottom of the last rappel) and then the reeve allowed
us to lower the litter and attendant 400+' directly to the awaiting
patient. The patient was loaded and then the medic and patient were
raised 400+' back up to the highline and then ferried to the tunnel
window and awaiting ambulance. I hope to have some photos of the
operation yesterday that shows a bit more clearly the operation.

[James_B_Wads2000]

I hope to have some photos of the
operation yesterday that shows a bit more clearly the operation.

Wow! Thanks Bo for the info. I would really be interested in seeing more pics.

I once stopped in the tunnel at this window to see my friends on top of the final rappel. I waved and screamed then raced down the tunnel. The ranger stopped me and asked if I had stopped. I admitted to it, she was not pleased.

James

[Jaxx]

nice, we are going down this weekend to do Pine Creek.
I am glad the guy is ok. These are the kinds of things that remind you to double check everything.

[accadacca]

[tanya]

Awesome report Bo!

[Iceaxe]

From the NPS Morning Report

Injured Canyoneer Rescued In Highly Technical SAR
Zion National Park (UT)

Canyoneer Jim Turner, 47, of Salt Lake City, sustained serious injuries when he fell about 40 feet while completing the last, 100-foot rappel on the popular Pine Creek route on Monday, August 13th. Turner

[Jaxx]

Is there any info on why he fell?

[Iceaxe]

Is there any info on why he fell?

He lost control of the rappel. Not sure exactly why, but I'll try and get a few more details... or maybe Bo already knows the answer.

[oldno7]

not enough friction on his rappel device is what I've been told,probably a burnt hand to go with his broken bones.

[Bo_Beck]

not enough friction on his rappel device is what I've been told,probably a burnt hand to go with his broken bones.

He had a fractured bone in the lumbar spine, fractured pelvis and bruised right lung......fingers got burnt pretty bad as well.

[James_B_Wads2000]

[quote=oldno7]not enough friction on his rappel device

[pfinjt]

Hey Folks,

I'm the guy who was rescued by Zion SAR at the last rappel in Pine Creek.

Our rope measured 191 feet, just short of the 200 feet we would have needed to rig a douple line rappel, so I tied some pull cord to the rope and rigged a single line rappel with a biner block. I put two biners under the rappel device and put a biner on my leg loop to clip into if I needed to. Found I didn't have enough friction, but when the time came to clip into the leg biner, I couldn't get the rope clipped in. Made the mistake of just trying to finish the rappel and lost control. Don't know how far I fell, but I suppose it was about 30 feet or so. My brother hiked out to get help. SAR folks got to me about 9:40 and spent the night with me in the canyon.

My injuries aren't as bad as some have said. I have a small crack in a lumbar vertebra, a stretched pelvic tendon (NOT a fractured pelvis), a small bruise on my right lung, and of course rope burned hands. I'm mobile, but walking pretty slowly.

I feel very lucky and very stupid at the same time.

I did learn that the Zion SAR folks are incredibly competent and very professional. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with their work.