| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly, Bill | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Moore, Mike | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Sauvigne, Pete | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Ulfers, Bob | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
At about 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, four cavers entered Buddy Penley's Cave in Bland County, Virginia. These were Bill Kelly, Mike Moore, Pete Sauvigne (31) and Bob Ulfers (20), from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Sauvigne was by far the most experienced and was playing the role of leader. They proceeded down the 120 foot pit, the 30 foot cable ladder drop and the Crossover Pit. After exploring a bit, looking for a connection to Newberry's Cave, they started out. The trip in had taken four hours. At the 120 foot pit the noise of the waterfall had about doubled but they had planned for this (rain was expected) by rigging that drop so that one could get off at a constriction 90 feet up and serve as a relayer of communications as the rest came up. Sauvigne asked Moore to go up and fill this role. At about 5:15 p.m. he had reached the constriction and moved up over the edge and to the left to rig into the excess of the 200 foot rope used to rig the drop. At that point a 30 pound rock fell, presumably dislodged by Moore although he didn't notice such an occurrence. Below, Sauvigne was at the rope helping Ulfers put on his vertical rig. The rock, "the size of a football," struck a blow to Ulfers' helmet, then to Sauvigne's arms and finally Ulfers' foot. Ulfers' helmet was knocked off by the blow and when Ulfers fell to the floor he struck his head, suffering further head and neck injuries. Both of Sauvigne's arms were broken and Ulfers was knocked unconscious. Sauvigne yelled for Moore to get help. Moore communicated that he would and took off. Toward the entrance the cave is complex and Moore had to take his time and several times chose wrong at a junction, retracing his steps after reaching a dead-end. His carbide lamp went out at one point, but was not difficult to relight. He reached the entrance about an hour and a half after the accident. Calls to the VPI Cave Club and NCRC got the rescue started. Meanwhile Kelly, who had been nearby, recharging his lamp, took charge of the injured cavers. Ulfer's neck injuries kept them from moving him. In the drafts at the bottom of the drop hypothermia became a problem. Ulfers was unconscious for about 10 minutes-when he came to he experienced nausea and rolled over a bit to vomit. Kelly took this opportunity to put some insulation under him. Using plastic bags and carbide lamps he then kept Ulfers as warm as possible. Both Sauvigne and Ulfers were in great pain. They passed the time in theological discussion. At 9:15 p.m. the first of the rescuers arrived at the cave. At 9:30 a group entered to bring medical supplies/expertise and a sleeping bag to the victims. Then a team entered to lay phone line. By 10:40 p.m. a phone line was set up to the accident site. After an initial examination, Ulfers appeared to have a scalp laceration, but no skull fracture; the shoulder pain seemed to indicate a broken clavical. He complained of pain in his left side and shoulder. His pupils were equal and reactive. Sauvigne was cold and appeared to have fractures of both forearms. While the victims were treated, the pit was rerigged for hauling and to bypass a narrow crawlway just above the pit. In the process it was found that the new rig site was somewhat unstable so there was some rock-fall danger. The medical team with the victims called for a special, flexible backboard, a KED, for Ulfers. This went down the drop at about midnight. At 12:43 a.m. Kelly was sent up the 120 foot drop. Meanwhile the best route to the entrance had been chosen and rigging was going on along this. At 4:20 a.m. Ulfers was brought up the 120. After being checked by the med techs he was transported to the entrance by a variety of caver-rescuers. He reached the entrance at 6:35 a.m. Sauvigne was being hauled up the 12 at that time and was transported to the entrance shortly after. Ulfers was flown to a hospital where he was listed in serious condition with a depressed skull fracture, two hairline fractures of the cervical spine and a broken foot. Sauvigne was found to have an open fracture of the left forearm and a compound fracture of the right forearm.
There was a good deal of useful comment about this accident in the caver press. Sauvigne admits to being "impatient to exit the cave" such that he helped Ulfers rig in 1) while someone was still climbing above, and 2) directly in the rockfall path, where he had experienced rockfall before. Apparently they could have rigged in at a spot sheltered from rockfall. Ulfers points out that your helmet does not provide complete safety from rockfall. Certainly it saved his life-the MSA Comfo-cap experienced a collapsed suspension but the shell was intact. Still, the helmet was knocked from his head allowing further injuries when he struck the ground. Helmets should not come off in the process of an accident, and one should change or modify the chinstrap accordingly. Moss suggests that the presence of Kelly as an additional party member, able to stay with the victims and offer assistance, may have saved them from succumbing to hypothermia. In all, a good example of the power of a simple rockfall to wreak havoc, and of the necessity of a good caver-manned rescue network. For me, at least, it is easy to think of times I've braved rockfall just to speed things up a little.
Two cavers sustained injuries in a rockfall while exiting; a complex rescue operation ensued, with the victims successfully evacuated and receiving necessary medical attention.