*** Accident at Seneca Rocks ***

Tue Jun 27 10:15:21 1995
Message : #27994979    From: Crash landings are Bad
Address : kochte@stsci.edu
Group   : Usenet.rec.climbing
Org.  : National Optical Astronomy Observatories, Tucson, AZ, USA


Some of you may have heard rumors or sketchy reports of a crash landing out
at Seneca Rocks this past weekend. Sadly, this really happened.  :-(

I and some friends were climbing on the East Face of the North Peak (one of
my friends was doing a lead up Rox Salt) saturday afternoon when we heard a
call from the woods below asking for assistance, that someone had fallen off
of Ecstasy. Since I wasn't belaying, I dropped everything and ran down to
help. 

I got to the scene as a half dozen climbers and state troopers, under the
critical guidance of one of the Gendarme (local climbing shop) crew,
carefully maneuvered the victim onto a backboard. A number of additional
climbers (one an EMT) and one of the local guides swarmed in to help rig up
an evac and lift the fallen climber (via backboard) onto a basket. We
secured him to the basket, and clipped it to a rigged climbing rope to help
guide the litter down the nasty-steep boulder and scree slope. The climber
was conscious, cognizant, and talking (he remained conscious, et al,
throughout the entire evac). He was in a neckbrace, he was bleeding from
various places (one of which was the rectum, which gave us all a bad
feeling), was complaining about his foot/leg hurting, and his back and ribs
were suspect.

We managed to maneuver him, train-fashion, down the slope to the ambulance
(which arrived shortly before we got him all the way down). A medivac unit
was called so he could be flown to a hospital in Charlottesville. 

After we got him down I ran back up to check on the belayer. She had just
been lowered down by another climber who climbed down to her. She was unable
to do anything; her hands and one arm were severely shredded with 3rd degree
burns from trying her level best to hold onto the rope as the leader
plummetted 130' to the ground (he was apparently 15' or so from the top of
the third pitch, she at the semi-hanging belay station at the end of the
second pitch). She probably saved his life, slowing his decent enough to
survive it.

We drove her out to the hospital where her SO/leader had been flown (after
the local medics bandaged up her hands and arm). When we arrived we learned
that the guy who fell was okay and he would be getting out of surgery
shortly. We then had someone look at her injuries and they decided it would
be best to admit her for a few days. We returned to Seneca, fairly late that
evening.

I got in touch with the Gendarme employee who was supervising the
rescue/evac and in touch with the doctor and family of the victim, and
learned that all he suffered was ONLY a broken heel, a cracked or broken
lower vertebrae (T10, T11, or T12 for those of you with this kind of
knowledge), his face was just cut up, and he tore a muscle or something
inside his rectum which explained the bleeding - ie, *no* internal injuries.
:-)  Plus various assorted cuts, abrasions, and bruises. He would, however,
remain in the hospital for a couple of days at least (by the time most of
you read this, he'll likely be long gone from there).

As to what *exactly* happened...it's not entirely clear. They were climbing
with a double-9 system (two 9-mil ropes), and she apparently was belaying
with a figure-8 (did not learn whether she had it in rappel mode or stitch
-plate mode). He yelled down to her that he couldn't hold on and that he was
about to fall. She locked him off. The next thing she knew there was a jerk
(none of his pieces pulled), and then he shot past her, on his way down. She
tried everything she could to stop him (her arm and hands attested to this),
and she probably saved his life. But as to *what* went wrong....this is not
clear right now. I don't know if it will be. Something with the belay
system.

If anyone wants any further information, give the Gendarme a call:
1-304-567-2600 (I don't have the 1-800 number with me; sorry).
I've told you everything I know. They may eventually know more.

Safe climbing, dudes and dudettes. No more falling like this.

Mk
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   o/                 ..     .
  /@                   .  .           If you insist on reaching for a
  <|\                     .  )        star, be prepared to take a long,
   |                 /\               hard fall.
   |                //
   /             o //*                Indy - climber, astronomer, adventurer
  /             <%- /|\               supreme. Have rope, will travel.
 /              /\ / | \



Tue Jun 27 11:19:28 1995
Message : #27997494    From: Chris Lesher
Address : lesher_c@wizard.colorado.edu
Group   : Usenet.rec.climbing
Length  : 223 words
Org.  : University of Colorado

In article <1995Jun27.125322@scivax> kochte@stsci.edu (Crash landings are
 Bad Things (tm)) writes:

Grim accident at Seneca deleted...

>As to what *exactly* happened...it's not entirely clear. They were climbing
>with a double-9 system (two 9-mil ropes), and she apparently was belaying
>with a figure-8 (did not learn whether she had it in rappel mode or stitch
>-plate mode).

Sounds a lot like neither... either provides lots of friction.  It sounds
like the dreaded (to me, at least) 'free run' or 'sport' belay, where the
rope goes into the large hole in the 8, then around the locking biner and
back out the 8. Not much friction for heavy loads....

He yelled down to her that he couldn't hold on and that he was about to
fall. She locked him off. The next thing she knew there was a jerk (none of
his pieces pulled), and then he shot past her, on his way down. She tried
everything she could to stop him (her arm and hands attested to this), and
she probably saved his life. But as to *what* went wrong....this is not
clear right now. I don't know if it will be. Something with the belay system.

Glad to hear the guy is going to be allright. Scary stuff, kids...

Chris

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