| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dougherty, Dan | 61 | Male | Bruise | Thigh |
On March 20 a group of eight cavers entered Kudzu Cave, Alabama for a bop to the bottom. Three had been in the cave previously and most were experienced cavers, with ages ranging from 23 to 61. The cave has three drops of 65, 48, and 110 feet. At the second drop the rope follows a flowstone overhang at first, then hangs free for 35 feet to the bottom, with the wall about three to four feet away. All descended the first two drops. Dan Dougherty (61) was the last person down the 48 and sat down on a rock to derig his vertical gear. One caver had already gone down the next drop. At that point (12:10 p.m.) a rock (24"x15"x4") dislodged from the wall under the overhang, striking Dougherty on top of his left leg, between the knee and hip. His immediate belief was that it was broken. He began to feel faint, put his head between his legs and quickly felt better. Palpation of the bone from underneath revealed no tenderness so it appeared the bone was not broken, only badly bruised. After ascertaining the extent of the injury, the victim was moved to a safer location. One caver then ascended, briefly stopping to examine the site of the rockfall. With no evidence of additional loose rock, two others ascended. Dougherty was then able to climb out unassisted using a modified Texas system with the rest following. A difficult chimney climb-down was belayed and the 65 foot entrance drop was done unassisted by Dougherty. He was out by 3 p.m. The injury was basically a severe bruise of the thigh. After three weeks a hematoma was diagnosed but not found by surgical examination.
The victim was fortunate - the rock hit the rock he was sitting on as well as his leg, lessening the blow to the leg. Those in the party feel that they did not touch the rock as they descended. It is probably a good idea for the first person down a drop to check for loose rocks-to clean the pitch. Also, one should spend as little time as possible beneath a drop.