| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, Laura | 18 | Female | Rope Burn | Not recorded |
On April 2, a group of nine cavers, six adults and three teenagers, visited Connie's Cave in Amador County, California. The cave is primarily horizontal with two entrances, one requiring a descent of a 45 degree slope and the other, 15 feet higher, is a rope drop down a pit to the top of the 45 degree slope. The vertical entrance was rigged with 5/16 inch Bluewater II. Laura St. Louis (late teens) had previously practiced rappel but was hesitant to proceed and had to be encouraged. She was put on rappel with "one of two sets of brakebars on the rappel rack." This was insufficient friction for her weight on the thin rope. Her initial descent was so rapid that she released her control hand and grabbed the rope with both hands above the rack. She fell about 12 feet, hit the 45 degree slope, and tumbled down that for another 20 feet, coming to a halt when the rack caught on the knot tied on the end of the rope. A first aid kit was lowered to two cavers at the top of the slope and the victim was treated for rope burns. She then left the cave under her own power.
Analysis: If someone else had gone down first the amount of friction necessary on the rack would have been known. An experienced caver would have gotten on rappel near the anchor and before going over the edge, would have put at least full body weight on the rack to test the friction, adjusting the number of bars as needed. Gloves should always be worn.