| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, April | 23 | Female | Fractured skull, compacted vertebrae, cuts, bruises | Head, neck |
On Saturday, 23 August 1975, Indian Cave is entered through a 60-foot pit which drops into a room 45 feet in diameter. The pit is nearly vertical and has no loose rocks in or near the immediate drop, although there are a number of rocks on the floor.
Steve Gutting (22), Ed Gelsone (21), Greg Passmore (17), and April Austin (23), all of the Alamo Grotto, as well as Paul Carey (19), a novice, were using the cave for vertical practice. Around noon Carey climbed out on one of the two ropes rigged in the pit. At 12:18 April Austin was a few feet off the ground on the other rope when Carey accidently broke off an exfoliation formation when he tried using it for a foot hold to get over the lip of the pit. Carey shouted, "Rock!" Gutting and Gelsone ran for cover but were struck with rock fragments.
Ms. Austin was on the rope and was unable to move to safety. After the rockfall she was in a sitting position hanging from her Jumar safety. It was quickly determined that she was seriously injured and could have a broken neck. Gutting called to the surface for a rescue. The cavers decided that they needed to get Ms. Austin off the rope as soon as possible so Gelsone lifted and supported her while Gutting unclipped her Jumars and they lowered her to the floor. She was still unconscious but had a pulse and was breathing without difficulty. She had a laceration on her skull but it was not bleeding. They treated her for shock and called to the surface for more clothing to cover the victim. After 5 minutes Ms. Austin regained consciousness. She complained of general pain all over, especially in her head.
On the surface, Passmore had gone for help but was unable to start Gutting's car, so he ran to the nearest house and called Chuck Stuehm, who in turn contacted two area cavers and Terry Jones, an EMT for the city of San Antonio.
At 12:40 San Antonio firemen arrived at the cave. Terry Jones arrived 3 minutes later. The cavers on the surface took all necessary steps to prevent anything else from falling into the pit. At 1:15 Jones descended into the cave, examined Ms. Austin and described her condition and vital signs to the doctor on the surface. Steve Gutting helped Jones immobilize the victim's neck with a neck collar and apply a dressing to her head injury. A caver came halfway down the pit to a ledge to help in lowering and raising the Stoke's litter. By 2:15 Ms. Austin was on the surface and in the care of the doctors. Her injuries included a fractured skull, a compacted vertebra in her neck, and minor cuts and bruises. She was expected to recover fully.
Analysis: "This accident was indeed freak as this is not a cave of much activity and the force applied to the exfoliated formation (which could not be detected until it broke loose) was much less than the force applied when we rappelled using this portion of the wall to spring from. If we had not rigged two ropes April would have been in a different position enabling her to get out of the way of the falling rock.
"One distinct fact that this accident has made even more evident is the poor quality hard hats that most cavers wear as head gear. They are for the most part no more than light carriers. Even though the helmet April was wearing failed, it did prevent her from further injury. The impact of the falling formation on April's helmet caused the helmet to be compressed down to the top of her head, and at the same time the poorly constructed helmet liner split apart, letting the helmet come in direct contact with her head. The helmet was of the plastic type construction with a label stating that it passed the ANSI Z89.1 and Z89.2 safety requirements.
"It is very evident that cavers in this area have been depending on helmets of very poor safety standards. The helmet may stop a falling object, but the liners will probably pop apart, leaving you with no protection at all. We firmly believe that this is one area in which cavers should spend some extra money and purchase a helmet that meets the standards of the Mountain Safety Research Company."