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Thread: Canyoneer Died of Suffocation

  1. #1

    Canyoneer Died of Suffocation

    From: San Juan Capistrano Patch
    By Jenna Chandler

    A San Juan Capistrano man whose body was found Saturday dangling from rappelling gear in the Cleveland National Forest died from asphyxiation, according to the San Diego County medical examiner.

    Matthew David Pack, 24, succumbed to mechanic asphyxia while attempting to rappel a 300-foot waterfall?, the autopsy report concluded. The death was classified as accidental.

    Sources in the medical examiner's office were not immediately available to comment.

    Pack's time of death is listed as 5:30 p.m. People in the area reported hearing his cries for help earlier in the afternoon on Friday, but by the time crews arrived to check on him, he was motionless. A search and rescue team was requested, but because of the late hour and windy conditions, the rescue was suspended until Saturday morning, authorities said.

    A helicopter spotted Pack at 5:45 p.m. Friday dangling from a rope in rushing water 200 feet below the top of Mildred Falls, said Capt. Tom Stephenson of the San Diego Fire Rescue helicopter crew. The pilot was able to see Pack using night-vision goggles, but the crew was unable to reach the climber, who seemed to be limp.

    "There appeared to be no movement," Stephenson said.

    A helicopter returned to Mildred Falls at 7 a.m. Saturday to join crews on foot who spent the night near the falls in the Cleveland National Forest, Brown said. They recovered Pack's body at about 1 p.m. Saturday.

    More:
    http://www.ocregister.com/news/san-2...iego-pack.html
    http://sanjuancapistrano.patch.com/a...of-suffocation

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  3. #2
    My name is Jenna Chandler, I'm the editor of San Juan Capistrano Patch, from which this story was pulled. I'm looking for friends and family of Matthew Pack ... please contact me through our website. Thank you

  4. #3

  5. #4
    Moderator jman's Avatar
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    That's a lot of water...

    Too bad for him and the family.

    So if he was dangling on the rope, did somehow his device lockup and was unable to get going again? Geez...can't imagine that feeling.Very sad.
    ●Canyoneering 'Canyon Conditions' @ www.candition.com
    ●Hiking Treks (my younger brother's website): hiking guides @ www.thetrekplanner.com
    "He who walks on the edge...will eventually fall."
    "There are two ways to die in the desert - dehydration and drowning." -overhearing a Park Ranger at Capitol Reef N.P.
    "...the first law of gear-dynamics: gear is like a gas - it will expand to fit the available space." -Wortman, Outside magazine.
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  7. #6
    Bogley BigShot
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    Ouch! I hate to rappel in heavy waterfalls!

    Very sad.



    Hi Jenna, Welcome to the group.

  8. #7
    Tragic story. Condolences to family and friends.


    Was he rapping that distance alone? I'd also like to know how he got hung up and what type of equipment he was using (device, harness, rope, was he wearing or dangling a pack?) and could exposure have played a role? Was he hanging in the water course?

  9. #8
    Bogley BigShot
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    Canyoneering, climbing.. just about anything is still safer than city driving --- by far! That scares me!

    Did anyone already post this. It's just hiking, but everything is dangerous. Even falling in the bath tub. My daughter did that to her arm on a bike. It was horrible! It mentions this tragedy at the bottom.

    “Someone was watching out for me,” says Ofelia Gutierrez , 56, who is home from the hospital after two surgeries for serious injuries sustained when she tumbled head-over-heels at Three Sisters Falls in East County on February 6th. In an exclusive interview with East County Magazine, the seasoned hiker shares her dramatic story.

    Another visitor to an East County waterfall, however, suffered a far worse tragedy. This weekend a rock climber died at nearby Mildred Falls, after becoming entangled in his rope and pulled beneath the waterfall cascading downward.

    http://www.jocosarblog.org/jocosarbl...her-story.html

  10. #9
    Moderator jman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tanya View Post
    Canyoneering, climbing.. just about anything is still safer than city driving --- by far! That scares me!

    Did anyone already post this. It's just hiking, but everything is dangerous. Even falling in the bath tub. My daughter did that to her arm on a bike. It was horrible! It mentions this tragedy at the bottom.

    “Someone was watching out for me,” says Ofelia Gutierrez , 56, who is home from the hospital after two surgeries for serious injuries sustained when she tumbled head-over-heels at Three Sisters Falls in East County on February 6th. In an exclusive interview with East County Magazine, the seasoned hiker shares her dramatic story.

    Another visitor to an East County waterfall, however, suffered a far worse tragedy. This weekend a rock climber died at nearby Mildred Falls, after becoming entangled in his rope and pulled beneath the waterfall cascading downward.

    http://www.jocosarblog.org/jocosarbl...her-story.html
    Hmm...perhaps when he threw the rope didn't untangle and got caught on a bight or knot, and as he was rappelling was trying to untangle it - and was unsuccessful in doing so. It is winter still and cold water on your head (in my experience) can do funky things to your body and mind ad your rappel and perhaps was subject to the mechanics and was unable to breathe...

    ..I dunno maybe something like that...(and I hate typing from my iPhone btw lol).
    ●Canyoneering 'Canyon Conditions' @ www.candition.com
    ●Hiking Treks (my younger brother's website): hiking guides @ www.thetrekplanner.com
    "He who walks on the edge...will eventually fall."
    "There are two ways to die in the desert - dehydration and drowning." -overhearing a Park Ranger at Capitol Reef N.P.
    "...the first law of gear-dynamics: gear is like a gas - it will expand to fit the available space." -Wortman, Outside magazine.
    "SEND IT, BRO!!"

  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by tanya View Post
    Canyoneering, climbing.. just about anything is still safer than city driving --- by far! That scares me!
    Funny, whenever someone (worried family members or coworkers) hear about a canyon trip and asks about the danger I always tell them that I've got a far better chance of dying on the drive to the canyon than in the canyon and an even better chance of dying on the way to or from work some random weekday so I might as well get some experience out of life.

  12. #11
    Some details of what went wrong. This was posted on the ACA website.

    Kirk has been in contact with a member of the SAR team and provided some additional information about Matt's accident.

    The drop is 350+ feet. Matt had tied two ropes together and fixed them to the anchor at the top. The ropes were not long enough to reach the bottom. There is another anchor 100 feet down that people use to break the rappel into pitches. Matt had passed this anchor and was over the lip and in a long free-hanging section. It appears he may have been rappelling off to one side and either did not know the second anchor was there or over-looked it.

    Matt had some gear on the rope, but it is unclear what type of gear it was. Speculation is that Matt realized his ropes would not reach the ground and attempted to ascend back up. The over-hanging lip and the force of the waterfall combined would have made ascending extremely difficult.

    The waist belt of Matt's harness was positioned unusually high and probably caused the mechanical asphyxiation.

  13. #12
    Sad story. He must have been miserable.


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