| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood, George | 27 | Male | Compressed lumbar vertebrae, forehead abrasion | Spine, head |
Mr. and Mrs. Harley Temple and George (27) and Judy Wood were on an outing in the Guadalupe Mountains when Mr. Wood decided to enter the Queen of the Guadalupes. The Queen is a cave which had been significantly enlarged by a treasure-hunting miner. An old, 80-foot metal ladder led down to the first ledge, but the cave continues to another shaft about 150 feet deep.
At about 2:30 p.m., Wood was about half way down the ladder when it began to collapse. Wood held on until it had almost stopped, but a second collapse began. The ladder fell to the opposite wall with Wood hanging from the underside. The impact shook him off and he fell 15 to 20 feet, apparently landing on his feet. He fell forward compressing two lumbar vertebrae and receiving a minor abrasion to his forehead. He was knocked unconscious but after recovering his senses, managed to move to a slightly protected wall where he remained until rescued.
Harley Temple broke into a forest ranger cabin and attempted to use the radio to call for help. His distress call was received but he did not realize this. He then drove 3 miles to a ranch to get help. On the way he met three Texas cavers. At about 3:40 one of them rappelled into the cave with a blanket and a first-aid kit. Around 5:15 members of the Eddy County Rescue Squad and the Guadalupe Grotto arrived from Carlsbad, about 70 miles away. Wood was placed in a Stokes litter and pulled out of the cave about 5 hours after his fall.
Analysis: The victim had no knowledge of caving techniques nor the condition of the ladder he attempted to climb.