| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steele, Charles | 20 | Male | Fracture, lacerations | Skull |
On 17 November Charles Steele (20), James Hauser (20), Ted Petranoff (19), Robert Flume (19) and Barry McCabe (20), members of the Indiana University Spelunking Club, rappelled (sic) into Gory Hole, a 148 foot pit, at about 2:00 p.m. After some exploration and photography at the bottom, they proceeded to leave the pit at 5:45 p.m. Hauser, Petranoff, McCabe and Flume ascended by prusiking (sic). While untying at the surface, Flume dislodged a rock weighing about one pound which fell into the pit and struck Steele near the back of his hard hat. This occurred at 7:15 p.m.
Steele was knocked momentarily unconscious but soon called for help. Hauser descended at 7:30 p.m. and found Steele bleeding badly from a head wound. Hauser stayed with Steele and administered first aid while Petranoff went for assistance.
At 8:15 p.m. Petranoff telephoned Richard Powell in Bloomington, and then went to secure bandages, returning to the cave at 8:45 p.m. Powell notified the Indiana State Police, requesting a patrol car at the scene; then phoned John Bassett and Richard Blenz for further assistance. Bassett picked up Ted Wilson and Powell, while Blenz contacted Don Carty; both groups headed for the cave with ropes, field telephones and personal equipment, arriving, along with Trooper George Abbott, at about 9:00 p.m.
By 10:30 p.m. the telephone was in use and the pit had been rigged with a hauling line over a block fixed above the pit. Steele was tied into his swiss-seat and a chest harness together with a second safety line. He was pulled to the surface at 10:45 p.m., being able to give some assistance himself when the ropes became slightly twisted. Steele was taken to the hospital at Bedford while the rescuers cleared and left the pit by 1:45 a.m.
Steele required several stitches on two lacerations adjacent to the occipital foramen. X-rays showed a chipped skull.
Source: Richard Powell and Charles Steele
Analysis: (Powell) Steele should not have been at the direct bottom of the pit while Flume was climbing or resting (unrigging) at the top. Steele could have been killed by the falling rock. He was saved mostly by his hard hat. The back of the hat was punctured with a hole about one-half inch in diameter, with shattered prongs of fiber-glass radiating from the hole. The fact that Flume yelled "rock" may have helped prepare Steele for the blow in that he apparently was hunched up, perhaps preventing a broken neck.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.