| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byers, Steve | 15 | Male | Fracture | Leg |
Besides the 155-foot entrance pit, Hellhole has several other vertical drops. Steve Byers (15) fell 15 to 30 feet at one of the drops in the back of the cave. His leg was broken in three places, so a litter was obtained from the climbing shop at Mouth of Seneca. At the entrance drop, two ropes were rigged for the litter and a third rope was rigged for ascending. Because of the numerous ledges, the litter became stuck several times and Sam Pitthan had to descend to the litter to free it. The rescue took about 8 hours.
Analysis: The accident reports gave no reason for the fall, but a belay should have prevented the accident. Pitthan believes that much of the difficulty in getting the victim to the surface could have been prevented if the litter had not been used.
Sources: Report by Sam Pitthan
Leg broken in 3 places. Trouble with getting litter out. NSS News Vol32 No11 p225.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.