| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short, Charles | Not recorded | Male | Not recorded | Not recorded |
On May 28 a group of six cavers from Ohio was exploring in Sites Cave near Franklin, West Virginia. In the afternoon they returned to the entrance pit to exit the cave. Beside their main and belay lines, a third rope had been rigged, by a group of three Pennsylvania cavers who were also now exiting. Cavers from the two groups ascended at the same time. At one point two from Ohio, and one Pennsylvania caver, were up, one Pennsylvania caver was on rope 140 feet up and one Ohio caver was 180 feet up. The remaining cavers were on the bottom, pressed as closely to the sides of the pit as possible. An Ohio caver was putting his Gibbs on the rope to be ready to start up and Charles Short of the Ohio group was talking on a phone they had rigged to the surface to see if the rope was free. Suddenly a rock fell from near the top of the pit, whizzed by the Ohio caver, glanced off the sleeve of the Pennsylvania caver and struck Short squarely on top of his fiberglass hard hat. The force of the blow caused Short to bounce off the wall and begin tumbling down the steep incline away from the site of the rigged lines. He was caught by another caver. Examination showed no injuries but his hard hat had suffered two 1-inch cracks on top and been jammed down hard over his forehead, resulting in temporary loss of vision due to mud and water in the sweatband being forced into his eyes. Short felt OK and moved back up to the rope. At this point he began to shake uncontrollably. The cavers were wet and cold before the incident and shock had probably reduced his circulation further. Short was therefore put on the rope next and exited under his own power.
Short was lucky to have a good hard hat. If possible one should not be in an exposed place while someone is climbing, ascending or moving about above. Note that a person can suffer shock even though not injured.