| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verner, Louis | 36 | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
At about noon on Saturday, October 13, a party of eight entered Wayne's Cave in Monroe County, Indiana. This group consisted of Louis Verner, a professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and seven students. They proceeded down the 15 foot entrance drop, through 300 feet of walking passage, 1200 feet of belly crawl and 600 feet of passage ranging from stoopway to crevice to crawlway. At 4 p.m. the group was just beyond Breakdown Mountain and looking for the way out. Verner (36) slipped and fell about 25 feet suffering injuries to his face and an arm and leg. Four of the students went for help and were led out by two local cavers they happened to meet in the cave. At 5:40 p.m. they called Bloomington Hospital for help. Other agencies were notified, ambulance and fire department personnel arriving simultaneously. At 6 p.m. a fireman, EMT and two local cavers entered with an EMT tech kit and oxygen tank. They proceeded to the accident site by 7:30 but found themselves at the top of a 40 foot drop with the victim at the bottom. They were unaware of a lower level route to the bottom so gave instructions to take vital signs and slow the patient's heat loss by close body contact. Meanwhile (6:30 p.m.) the local caver call-out was initiated. Soon eight cavers entered with rope and climbing gear and others started laying phone line into the cave. Also at this time Dr. Noel Sloan was called and informed that there was a single patient with a broken back. He requested a KED backboard and either a scoop or split basket litter be taken to the victim. These were taken at 7 p.m. Since many local cavers were out of town, an Indianapolis call-out was started with Louisville cavers being called and put on standby. At 9 p.m. Dr. Sloan entered the cave and reached the top of the drop at 9:20, simultaneously with the rigging team. Sloan reached the victim at 9:30 p.m. and an initial evaluation showed him to be in critical condition. His oral temperature was 97.4 with uncontrollable shivering. He had multiple facial fractures, possible skull fracture, lacerations and eyes swollen shut; blood pressure 100/60, heart rate 46 and regular. Internal injuries and closed head injuries were suspected but not apparent. Clothing had been placed under him with a caver lying on him for warmth. The cavers of the original party were shown how to ascend rope and were escorted out. A group started out to plan the best route while others started enlarging and modifying passage for the evacuation. The patient was treated: Ringer's IV was administered, wounds dressed, and insulation with the KED backboard, clothes and space blankets applied. At 11 p.m. the litter arrived and by 11:15 the victim was ready for evacuation. His shivering had stopped. The phone line arrived at that time and was moved out of the cave just ahead of the victim to provide constant surface communications. The evacuation was accomplished without removing the patient from the litter, the route having been well-prepared by other cavers. At one S-bend additional digging was required, taking 45 minutes. The victim exited at 4:45 a.m., the whole evacuation taking about five hours.
This successful rescue of a critically injured caver, essentially by cavers, is certainly impressive. Dr. Sloan comments: 'This was the result of good cooperation between hospital personnel, firefighters, and cavers. The mobilization of cavers from their various weekend caving projects demonstrates the value of good relations and pre-planning with State agencies. It also emphasizes the importance of letting someone know when and where you go caving. In situations where there is a known injury and litter transport is available, a litter should be sent to the site as soon as possible. In all incidents, hypothermia should be assumed. A sleeping bag or exposure gear should be one of the first things to reach the patient. The efficiency of the rescue effort was improved by the fact that most individuals had worked together in prior caving incidents or training rescues.' The phone line proved invaluable in preventing confusion and clog-ups in the 1200 foot crawlway.