| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones, Cheryl | Not recorded | Female | Not recorded | Not recorded |
Don Davison, Jr., Cheryl Jones, David Green, and Glenn Cook entered Tumbling Rock at 1:20 p.m. in order to attempt to reach the top of Topless Pit which is about 3800 feet into the cave. Davison and Jones, both experienced vertical cavers, spent several previous trips attempting to aid climb to the top of the dome in hopes of finding new leads. They ascended fixed ropes to their highest belay position, the Crow's Nest, 270 feet above the floor. Meanwhile the others began ferrying previously stockpiled support gear out of the cave. Davison ascended to the 360-foot level and then, belayed by Cheryl Jones, climbed another 25 feet. Because of rotten rock and a waterfall, they quit for the day. Davison descended to a ledge 174 feet above the floor, traversed along the ledge using a trolley line, and then descended to the 134-foot ledge. Cheryl Jones prepared to descend from the 174-foot ledge. The rappel line from that ledge was attached with a carabiner to a carabiner chock and then backed to a hexcentric nut in a crack. The carabiner chock was solid against a downward pull, but not against an upward pull. At about 10 p.m. as Cheryl Jones rappelled below the lip of the 174-foot ledge, the carabiner chock and its backup pulled out. She fell about 40 feet. In the process the rope flipped her upside down, and she banged into the wall. Her fall was arrested by her rack which was bent from the shock after the slack came out of the rope. She hung inverted in the waterfall about 130 feet above the floor. She was unconscious and blood streamed from her head lacerations. Her Fibre-Metal helmet hung by the cord to her Wheat Lamp. Cheryl Jones regained consciousness, and although severely disoriented and dazed, was able to right herself and apply direct pressure to her scalp wound. Davison was on the 134-foot ledge about 40 feet from the victim. He constructed a 2-to-1 pulley system and was able to pull her about 20 feet and away from the waterfall. She was still somewhat confused but had repositioned her helmet discovering that the lamp lens was fractured. Her neck hurt badly, and she suffered a debilitating injury to her left elbow. Her condition stabilized somewhat. Davison drove two bolts in order to get to Cheryl. After some difficulty when it was necessary to cut the rope she was suspended from, Davison was able to get her to the 134-foot ledge. Green then returned to the pit and was told to summon the Huntsville Cave, Pit and Cliff Rescue Unit. He was to bring a first-aid kit, 400 feet of Bluewater rope, blankets, and a Stokes litter. The call was received at 12:45 a.m. Monday by W. W. Varnedoe, Jr., chief of the team. Eleven men reached the cave which is about 60 miles from Huntsville by 2:35 a.m. and an hour later they were at the dome. Meanwhile Davison had treated the injured woman with first-aid, given her a wool sweater, and placed a plastic garbage bag over her legs. Davison descended to the floor, changed carbide, and then carried food back up to the victim. A carbide lamp was used to provide warmth. When the rescue team arrived, the victim was lowered to the floor and placed in a Stokes litter. The rescue party performed efficiently and got the victim to the entrance by 7 a.m., 9 hours after the accident.
Analysis: "1.) The exact circumstances involved in the failure of the rappel anchor are not known since the route to Gargoyle Ledge has not been reclimbed at this time. 2.) The Davison System seat maintained its position despite the force at the inverted termination of the fall. 3.) The chin strap was forcefully separated from the helmet button, as was the suspension at that point, causing Cheryl's helmet to fall from her head. On the 134-foot ledge, the chin strap, button, and suspension were reunited since no damage had occurred to any of the parts. These facts cause questions to be raised concerning the use of Fibre-metal suspensions and chin straps. 4.) It was pure chance that all the necessary hardware was available for me to use [for the rescue]. 5.) The Stokes litter should have an ensolite pad on the bottom to protect the blankets from water and the victim from heat loss when the litter is set on the ground. 6.) Air splints and cervical collars would be valuable additions to the first aid kit. 7.) The dri-suit and plastic bags enabled the victim to maintain body temperature and eliminated exposure as a complicating condition." (Davison) "The use of this rappel anchor, while it might have been sound under most circumstances, become unsound when coupled with a fatigued and, hence, less alert caver. Anchors should be chosen with the view that they may not always be treated with due caution.' (Varnedoe)