| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirk, Tina | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded | Not recorded |
On June 8, a group of eight experienced cavers was in Bird Horror Hole, Jackson County, Alabama for a push trip. They came to a virgin waterfall drop and rigged it. Tina Shirk descended and found the rope to be too short. She tried to change over and ascend but 'somehow her rack jammed into an ascender and could not be moved.' Communication was impossible but after a time a second rope was rigged and a companion descended. He apparently got her switched over to his rope and down to the bottom. The rest descended but Shirk was suffering a bit from hypothermia so she was escorted out.
It is great to experience a virgin pit but one should be well practiced in the vertical arts. The first person down a pit should always expect the unexpected.
An experienced caver, Tina Shirk, encountered difficulty on rope due to a too-short line and a jammed rack ascender on a virgin waterfall drop, leading to mild hypothermia.