| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumpus, Glenn | 21 | Male | Fatality | Not recorded |
| Schiff, Jayne | 19 | Female | Fractured ribs, fractured arm, punctured lung, fractured vertebrae | Chest, back, arm, spine |
Raymond and Suzanne Ryan, Glenn Bumpus (21), Jayne Schiff (19), Michael Froehlich, and Anita Sonin began descending the sinkhole entrance of Knox Cave shortly after 8:00 p.m. All but the Ryans were students of the State University of New York at Albany and were novices on their first caving trip. Ice at the bottom of the sinkhole obscured 3/4 of the entrance gate. They noted no other ice near the entrance and could not find enough meltwater to fill their carbide lamps. To gain entry into the cave the party began crawling over the top of the gate and down the icy ladder rungs. Four of the party entered and only Schiff and Bumpus still remained outside.
Suddenly and without warning they heard a rushing of air and were pelted with small particles of ice and snow. The cavers called to the two outside but heard only a moan in response. They found that Bumpus and Schiff had been pinned beneath an ice block 8 feet in diameter and 3.5 to 4 feet thick, weighing approximately 1 ton. They realized that Bumpus had been killed instantly. Jayne Schiff was beneath the ice with only her legs visible.
The cavers contacted the sheriff's office and the Berne Ambulance. The sheriff's deputies arrived by 8:30 p.m. Volunteers from the Knox Fire Department broke up the block of ice and removed Schiff. She sustained fractured ribs, a fractured left forearm, a punctured left lung and fractured 5th, 6th, and 7th vertebrae. Her condition was very critical for over a week after the accident but it finally stabilized. She may be partially paralyzed permanently.
Analysis: "No warning signs were available to the group that might have made the accident avoidable and no amount of safety equipment above the adequate supplies at hand would have made any difference.
The source of the ice block remained a problem to the investigators. No clues were available at the time to suggest exactly where it came from. Photos taken during the investigation of the area on the morning after the accident documented the drag marks on the wall about 25 feet above the entrance. It now appears that the block came from an area near the very rim of the sinkhole, close to ground level. It is not known why such a large block of ice formed near the surface and why it did not melt as did the ice deeper in the sink. It may have been covered by a thin layer of mud at the time, making it nearly impossible to see." (Gregg)
Sources: Report by William J. Gregg.