| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sims, Mike | 41 | Male | Laceration | Hand |
On January 28, Mike Sims (41) and Tim Anderson (36) were in Oregon Caves, the main cave at Oregon Caves National Monument, on a meteorological study project. They were just upstream from the tour bridge over the River Styx, working to place a chart recorder for monitoring water levels. As always in the winter the cave was very wet, drippy and muddy. The site is at present the furthest upstream point of penetration along the River Styx-beyond, the 15 foot high canyon is walled in and filled for an unknown distance with football-sized rocks deposited in the 1930's when a tunnel to facilitate the tour was blasted nearby.
At 1 p.m., without warning, a number of rocks dislodged and fell, one of them striking both Sims and Anderson on their left hands. Sims suffered a bad cut and contusion to the fleshy area between the thumb and forefinger. The hand was bandaged using supplies from a first-aid kit and the work continued, the two leaving the cave at 5 p.m.
Analysis: Constant water activity had, over the years made the unnatural fill unstable. A different site should have been chosen.
NSS Accident Report 2/78.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.