| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unger, Bruce | 30 | Male | Fatality; fractures | Numerous fractures |
On Saturday, August 9, Bruce Unger (30), Scott Trossen, Louise Hose, and Tom Strong hiked to a camping place near the lowermost cave of the Lost Creek System in the Lost Creek Scenic Area west of Denver, Colorado. The system is a series of talus caves In granitic rock through which Lost Creek flows. The lower cave was reputed to be not difficult yet a through trip had never been done and this was their goal. At this time of year they expected 10-15 cubic feet per second of flow and a water temperature in the 50's. Hypothermia should not be a problem as they intended to wear wetsuits, but the flow was recognized as sufficient to be a hazard. Unger was said to be experienced in caves with high water flow while the others were relatively inexperienced. All were experienced in wetsuit caving. With camp established and lunch eaten they prepared to enter the cave. The plan was to go in the lower entrance, push upstream to the upper entrance, then map back. Trossen and Unger wore seat harnesses over their wetsuits while the other two carried theirs in their packs. They all used carbide lamps with a back-up electric lamp but only Hose and Unger had their electrics on their helmets. They all had waterproof flashlights and cylumes. Two lengths of 5/16 inch Bluewater III and 50 feet of polypropylene were brought along. All were wearing lug-sole boots except Unger who had substituted cumbersome 'Shoe-pak' style. insulated, rubber boots since his wetsuit booties wouldn't fit inside his regular caving boots. The weather was good. At 1:30 p.m. they entered the cave with Unger leading. The lead soon switched to Trossen. They were apparently in the water flow at least part of the time, moving as a team, helping each other. About 150 feet in they had to search for a route through boulders. At about this point Hose reports that Unger 'noted that his boots were slipping a (5). Hose led a traverse above the flow to a dry alcove. Unger then took the lead, re-entered the stream and continued to a plunge pool fed by a 30 degree chute. The water was rushing down a 2 foot wide slot, but above the water the passage belled out to a six foot width at head height. The chute was only 15 feet long but appeared to afford only friction for holds. Unger proceeded up, straddling the water chute. The others waited in the pool. listening for any communication above the roar of the water. Near the top he yelled down that it was very slick and that one shouldn't stop until reaching the top. At the top was a room opening to the right with deep water feeding the chute. Unger made to move right, into the room. It was about p.m. At this point Unger either stepped into the pool or slipped off his holds into the water, feet first with legs extended. Either way he was immediately swept into the chute but became wedged near the top, his head and chest above water. He yelled for someone to come up and help. Hose went up and Unger yelled that his left foot was caught. The bulky boot was wedged tight. Hose was able to lift his right leg but that did not help. She called for the others. It was a desperate situation. Unger was holding himself above water against the heavy force of the flow but this could not last long. Hose chimneyed above Unger as Trossen and Strong arrived. Unger, knowing his life was on the line, began to panic. Hose got into a position to hold Unger's head up but suddenly lost her holds and was swept down, catching on Trossen's and Strong's legs. Strong got her head out of the water and Trossen did the same for Unger. Unger had taken in some water and was choking a bit but was still able to talk. In panic he asked for someone to take his hand which was waving wildly underwater. Just then Trossen lost his grip and Unger's head went under a moment later Unger's companions all lost their holds and were swept down the chute. They landed in the pool in confusion. The carbide lamps were out and the only light was Hose's electric. Unger was underwater. Trossen re-ascended quickly and grabbed Unger's helmet to pull his head up the helmet came off. Trossen lurched, lost his footing and again was swept down. Hose and Trossen took off their cave packs and ropes and again hurried up to Unger. Trossen pulled up on Unger's cave pack. With a lurch the pack strap gave and both lost their holds, being delivered once again by the rushing water to the plunge pool below. At that point Strong, who had stashed the gear, climbed the chute followed by Hose but neither could find Unger. A yell to Trossen sent him downstream looking for Unger who must have, miraculously, washed free. Strong and Hose descended and searched the pool. After a few minutes of frantic looking, they had found nothing. Hose re-ascended the chute yet again and, probing deeply underwater, located Unger who was further down into the crack. She communicated this to those below and Trossen climbed up, Hose moving upstream of Unger. Trossen got a grip, pulled, and slipped, catching himself partway down the chute. At this point they seemed to realize that they no longer had the strength to continue with what seemed futile anyway. Unger had been underwater for more that ten minutes. The words were spoken - "Unger is dead." Sadly, and undoubtedly in mild shock, they gathered their gear and, at about 2:45 p.m., exited the cave. Two weeks later (August 23), with water flow reduced 50 to 70% a body recovery team found it required the pull of a come-along attached to Unger's seat harness and anchored to an overhead, wedged boulder to free the body from the chute.
ANALYSIS: (Knutson) The coroner's report after autopsy concluded that "the cause of death is due to extensive head injuries and a fractured neck due to blunt trauma consistent with a fall ('11). There was no evidence of drowning yet this may not be conclusive due to advanced post-mortem decomposition. Both Unger's companions (7) and Jay Arnold (9) who interviewed by phone the doctors involved with the autopsy believe the death blow occurred when Hose washed over Unger the first time. Yet this cannot be. Park County Coroner Marty Flohrs gives the opinion that Unger could not have lived beyond the next movement of his head once the injuries were received (9) and the reports clearly show that Unger was both moving and talking for several minutes past that first blow, when Hose washed over him. The second time she did SO he was underwater. Under "`Central Nervous System" the coroner found (11) 1) "a midline fracture extending into the right frontal bone. 2) "extensive fracturing of the base of the skull involving the sphenoid bone and the petrous portions of both temporal lobes." 3) "bilateral fractures of the frontal plates." In other words there was extensive fracturing of the skull and some of this in areas covered by Unger's Ultimate helmet. I believe the evidence is strong that when Trossen, Hose and Strong washed down the chute the first time the force of the which is extremely powerful, whipped Unger's head around and broke his neck. Then when the helmet came off shortly thereafter, the same powerful turbulence smashed Unger's head on the walls of the chute causing the rest of the skull fractures. How else could these fractures, "consistent with a fall" (11) be present when no fall occurred? It seems that it is also possible that drowning was the cause of death via vaso-vagal reflex where cold water reaching the larynx causes a closing of the passage to the lungs resulting in abrupt heart stoppage. There would be no water in the lungs in this case. Still, this would have had to occur just before or in conjunction with the skull fracturing discussed above since there was a little hemorrhaging associated with that (11). As to other factors I agree with the analysis of Unger's companions, given below, except that I would like to emphasize the danger of a flow of water such as they encountered. Heavy water flow caves are extremely dangerous. Even the strongest swimmer can be swept under a ledge or jammed into a crevice. Even a belay is of little use - once jammed somewhere by the force of the flow not even several people would be able to pull the victim out. I don't wish to suggest that Unger's companions didn't do their all for him, but I can't resist, from the safety of hindsight, to suggest a possible course of action. This is purely conjective and may well have been impossible even had someone thought of it. Namely, take the rope available, tie it in a loop under Unger's armpits and anchor it above the chute, SO that his head might be above water even when he tired. Then one might seek the proper equipment, come-along or whatever, to free him. Just a thought. ANALYSIS: (Hose, Strong, and Trossen) A disaster is always a potential when dealing with caves containing large amounts of rapidly moving water. Unger was the most experienced river caver of the party and we all had discussed the possible risks. Although none of us felt the quantity of water was too dangerous, delaying the trip two weeks would almost certainly have prevented the fatality. A slip into the lower water flow would probably have been a minor incident. Unger was wearing bulky, hunter-style boots with soft rubber soles which he had earlier complained about being slippery. The climb was not difficult and the boots may have contributed to the initial slip. Also, Unger was straddling the chute. He effectively had only two points of contact with the walls, as no handholds were available. When his foot slipped he fell with a long limb (his leg) in line with the force of gravity and the force of the water. This must have greatly enhanced his chances of being trapped. When the others washed down the chute they had fallen with their limbs up high, preventing them from wedging. The critical importance of an electric headlamp mounted on the helmet and turned on when traveling in water was emphasized in this accident. In an emergency situation, back-up light sources in a pack may be nearly useless. After the trio was washed down the chute, Hose's electric headlamp was the only functioning light in the cave. While it probably made no difference, panic was a factor in our attempts to free Unger. Though physically able to do so when Hose reached him, Unger did not explain how he was trapped or how he could most effectively be helped. While the group always maintained control, Hose and Strong both felt that panic of varying degrees prevented clear thinking on their parts after Unger had gone under. Panic is a difficult emotion to suppress. Cavers can best learn to control it by mentally preparing for such disasters, recognizing such incidents may happen to them, and trying to imagine responding in an appropriate manner.