| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolata, Leo | 30 | Male | Compound femoral fracture | Leg |
On Sunday, January 2, three cavers entered Cooch-Webb Cave, Hart County, Kentucky. They were Leo Dolata (30), John Moos and Larry Royse. Royse had some experience and was equipped with a helmet and carbide lamp. The other two were without headgear and carried six-volt lanterns. They planned to visit the dry walking passage near the entrance.
About 150 yards into the cave, at about 3:15 p.m., Dolata stopped to look down a four foot by eight foot diameter hole where their dry, upper level passed over and connected with the lower, wet passage. Suddenly, Dolata seemed to lose his balance, tipped forward and then tried to leap to the other side. He landed on a steep, loose, smooth mud bank. Facing the slope he slid backwards for 20 feet, then over a 60 to 80 foot free drop.
The two at the top listened and heard hard breathing. Dolata was conscious and yelled up that he had a "compound femoral fracture," using his experience as a fireman to make the diagnosis. Royse went to get help. Calls to the local sheriff's office and to Elizabethtown State Police went unanswered. The Bowling Green State Police responded and in turn called Corry Crooks of Western Kentucky University, a mountaineer, and called in a doctor from the local hospital. They obtained a Thomas traction splint, a 100 foot rope ladder and a narrow stretcher.
The ladder was set in place and Dolata was found to be out of the water on some large rocks. Dr. Larry Maynard descended and stopped some bleeding, set the leg, and administered medication. A litter was rigged from webbing and Dolata was hauled from the pit. He was evacuated from the cave at about midnight, some eight hours after entering.
To walk up to the edge of a pit and simply fall in seems so foolish as to be unbelievable. Yet it happened. Many cavers take seemingly unnecessary chances at the edge of drops.
lost balance looking down a pit. attempted to jump over, landed in mud and slid back over lip. 60-80ft freefall (no helmet) resulting in a broken femur.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.