| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sekola, Kenneth | 22 | Male | Laceration | Scalp |
On the afternoon of Saturday, June 23, Kenneth Sekola (22), Steve Mercado (20) and Lynn Mercado (20) visited Indian Cave in Missouri. The first two were soldiers stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood. They had explored in the cave a few times previously. Lynn Mercado, the wife of Steve Mercado, was a novice. They intended to stay only a couple of hours and carried only flashlights with a couple of extra sets of batteries. They had no extra food, water or clothing for emergencies in the 58° F cave.
The group penetrated "a little faster and a little farther" than on previous occasions. Soon they were resorting to arrows painted on the walls for direction and found these to be ambiguous. It seemed they were lost. Two of their flashlights became exhausted and finally the last was accidentally dropped down a shallow pit. The men tied their belts together and Sekola was lowered to retrieve the light. The belt belay failed and he tumbled 40 feet to the bottom. He was apparently unhurt but they decided to remain where they were until help arrived. Below, Sekola was able to find some muddy water to drink. They felt rescue would not be too long in coming since their car was at the entrance. Time dragged on. One day passed. Then two.
Finally, in the early hours of Wednesday, they were found by rescuers from the caving club at the University of Missouri at Rolla. They had been in the cave some 84 hours.
They were treated at a local hospital for exposure and Sekola for a scalp cut caused by a rock dislodged by rescuers.
Analysis: Too many casual cavers feel that flashlights are adequate as primary light sources. These were lucky as the cave is relatively warm and that Sekola was not injured by his fall. The most important lesson here is that a vehicle or vehicle with note left at the cave entrance is no guarantee that rescuers will be sent immediately on your failure to return. Someone should be informed of your objectives and instructed to notify authorities when you fail to return at an appointed hour.
3.5 days. Knoxville Journal 6/28/79 pA11. St. Louis Post Dispatch 6/28/79. The Mercury (Pottstown, PA) 6/29/79 p16.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.