| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waddell, Rita | 26 | Female | Laceration | Hand |
On Sunday, July 11, a party of six entered Pryor Springs (Duck Pond) Cave, Tennessee. The group included six adults, ages 25-30, only two of which had any previous caving experience. At 2 p.m. they were traversing the back portion of the cave in a stream passage and were about to enter the Waterfall Room. Rita Waddell (26) following others through knee-deep water, stepped into a shallow hole, lost her footing and fell. She put out her hands to break her fall and lacerated her left hand on a sharp underwater rock. She was not wearing gloves. There was not a great deal of bleeding so the wound was treated with large band-aids and the trip continued. Afterwards the victim visited a hospital and the wound was closed with five stitches.
Analysis: The victim was not wearing gloves. Also, the caver was probably affected by leader-follower "syndrome"- you are following you tend to become less aware of what is happening. Even though someone is leading you still must watch your step.
5 stitches. NSS Accident Report (Undated). NSS Safety Committee Report 8/6/76.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.