| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracey, George | 28 | Male | Fatality | Chest |
On Tuesday, 1 July 1975, several groups of cavers from Ontario, Canada spent a 4-day weekend caving in West Virginia. One group of six cavers planned a short trip on the last day before returning home. They decided to use the 15- to 20-foot entrance drop of Barnes Pit to practice ladder climbing. At approximately 1:15 p.m. George Tracy (28), Marg Saul and Stephanie Merrin prepared to rig the pit. As the women unrolled the 30-foot ladder, Tracy walked to the entrance to look for the best spot to place the ladder.
Suddenly there was a rumble, and Stephanie Merrin saw Tracy falling backwards with arms outstretched as though the ground had been jerked from under his feet. The duration of the rock fall was about 3 to 5 seconds, and it was apparent that large rocks to the right of the entrance had shifted. Tracy was pinned against the solid wall to the left of the entrance hole by a boulder at least 5 feet in circumference, which had caught him mid-chest and abdomen. An upright rock about 7 feet in height appeared to have settled against the right side of the first boulder and seemed to be partly supported by it. The victim's face was white and he was breathing in sharp gasps.
Help was sought immediately from the Marlinton Fire Dept., an ambulance and the Pittsburgh Grotto Rescue List. A jack was placed between the boulder pinning Tracy and the wall beside the entrance hole. Small rocks were wedged in the 5-inch gap created by opening the jaws of the jack to their maximum, but this did not noticeably relieve the victim who was experiencing increased difficulty in breathing.
One ambulance attendant prepared to administer oxygen but found that the cylinder was empty. A second cylinder was obtained from the ambulance but it leaked due to a missing gasket. Tracy began convulsing. The ambulance attendants did not have any morphine and were not allowed to administer any drugs. Tracy's condition rapidly deteriorated and about 90 minutes after the accident he stopped breathing. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation was tried unsuccessfully. After several phone calls a doctor and a nurse arrived 2 hours after the accident. The doctor was secured by a safety line and from a distance of 20 feet from the victim pronounced him dead. Finally the body was recovered 6 hours after the accident by using a bulldozer and a GI truck.
Analysis: The written report of the accident gives no indication as to what caused the rock to fall. It seems meaningless to speculate as to whether the cavers should have been able to recognize the unstable condition of the rocks. The ambulance attendants did not inspire confidence in their knowledge of first aid and it was inexcusable to have only empty or faulty oxygen cylinders in the ambulance. The doctor was very slow in responding to the phone calls but he claimed he did not realize the urgency of the situation. The cavers present realized too late that they had little knowledge of first aid or rescue procedures. Much later it was learned that there was a mine rescue group in the area which could have provided the specialized equipment and knowledge for such an emergency. However, this accident was so severe and the rescue so difficult, that the victim would not have survived no matter how efficient the rescue effort might have been.
Source: Merrin, Stephanie. (1975) "Accident Report." The Canadian Caver. Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.3-7. Report by Allan P. Haarr.