rescue
George Clappison
a leg. More later
George Clappison
Nigel Robertson
"George Clappison" <eart...@bcpl.net> wrote in message
news:qN_Z3.805$75.6...@news.abs.net...
George Clappison
George Clappison wrote in message ...
>A caver was rescued from Cave Mountain Cave in WV on Saturday after
breaking
>a leg. More later
>
>George Clappison
>
>
>
Here are two different versions of the rescue.
RESCUE FROM CAVE MOUNTAIN
George Clappison December 9, 1999
Saturday, November 20th, 1999 started out like most caving trips to West
Virginia. Roll out of bed about 4:00 A.M., on the road by 5:00. The drive
from Baltimore to Franklin, WV in Pendleton County is pleasant this early in
the morning. The traffic was light, and as Nancy Retz and I drove along, we
looked forward to getting back to the mountains again. We also looked
forward to crawling back into Cave Mountain Cave. We had explored parts of
this dry, dusty cave back in the spring during PSC’s (Potomac Speleological
Club) Spring Tourist trip. We had met Pauline Appling and Bob Hoke at the
old bridge, just past Upper Tract, WV, and waited as the crowd gathered. It
was Nancy’s first wild cave trip and I remember hoping for a pleasant,
interesting trip for her to begin enjoying the wonders of the underworld.
It had been an enjoyable crawl even though she didn’t like the gaping holes
we had to scramble over. Holes that pulled at your mind like a huge throat
trying to swallow. We pushed on past the lower level connector, toward the
back of the first level, and on to the crystal wall that was the prize at
the end of the challenging and dusty effort. Not bad for an initiation into
wild caving.
We both could feel the cave’s wear and tear; that tightness throughout your
body that lets you know that you have pushed your envelope of normal
activity. That evening at the PSC fieldhouse, only a few short miles from
Cave Mountain, we talked and ate and imbibed with many whom we would come to
know throughout the year as we continued to explore the caves of Virginia,
West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We liked meeting other cavers and swapping
stories, and took note that PSC had equipped the field house with various
safety and rescue items. Some that would prove invaluable in less time than
we imagined. The camaraderie and dedication of cavers is not so evident
when you are hanging out and partying after a long day of crawling through
unforgiving rock. We were soon to learn just how unforgiving the underworld
can be, just how far away medical help is when you are injured in a cave,
and how much you can depend on your fellow cavers to sacrifice themselves
when the need arises.
Like most other cavers, I enjoy caving. It is a time for me to escape the
surface world, to enter an alien world where surface concerns are far away,
and experience is in your face. You don’t learn about caving, you
experience caving. You can learn about Geology or vertical technique, or
the proper equipment you need to enter a cave safely. You can read about
caving and begin to understand what your main concerns will be as you
descend. You can listen to caving stories and appreciate what it is like to
explore and discover and survive. But you cannot actually learn what it is
to enter the depths of the Earth. Until you feel rock, above and below,
caressing your body; until you will your body to conform to the tortuous
constrictions that await; until you survive the ominous darkness and
deafening silence; the absolute unforgiveness of venturing down into the
Earth where you survive by planning and forethought and sheer will power to
return to the surface, caving will only be a concept to be considered. Just
an interesting mental exercise. Adventure, I once heard, is danger and
personal deprivation remembered during times of tranquility.
The adventure on November 20th began as we packed our gear and prepared for
the ascent of Cave Mountain, toward the cave near the top, along precipitous
ledges and precarious outcroppings of rock, high in the mountains on a warm
fall day. We were all smiling and joking as we walked the mile or two up
the steep path. The path soon gave way to a small trail around the edge of
the cliff face. A narrow, and sometimes non-existent, leaf covered trail up
to the mouth of Cave Mountain Cave. Sharp, jagged rocks and tree roots are
plentiful on this part of the trail, and sections drop away abruptly down
the steep slope covered with loose stone and gravel. You must be careful
here. A misstep could send you hundreds of feet down to the south branch of
the Potomac River.
It was about noon as the group headed in. Most of the cavers preceded the
25 Boy Scouts and we knew others were already in the cave, from the cars
parked at the bottom. As it turned out, the great number of people in the
cave that day would be the key to the successful extraction and transport of
Ken Tayman from Cave Mountain Cave. Pauline was headed toward the back of
the first level, the large scouting group was following her for a milder
trip. Bob had decided to take a few of the more advanced cavers to the
lower section. Nancy and I were following Bob. About 15 minutes into the
cave, as we reached the climbdown to the lower section in the big room, we
encountered a group of cavers in the vertical connector. We waited as
Pauline’s group passed by. There had been a fall at the climbdown only
minutes before our arrival. The group from the Franklin County Grotto in PA
were trying to help the injured caver to get himself up out of the vertical
shaft. Ken Tayman had slipped as he leaned over to put his hand on the
rock where his foot was resting. When his foot slipped, his hand missed the
rock and his knee slammed into the rock hard enough to cause a 4” vertical
fracture in the tibia and shear off another portion. The fall continued as
he fell face first into the rock, then rolled off three feet. His helmet
took most of the force, but his teeth also contacted the rock, splitting his
lip and cutting his forehead. Ken had entered the cave with Franklin County
Grotto members Pat Minnick, Jonathan Peterson, Ken Jones, Anne Shepard,
Crystal Hunt, Gordon Lee, and Bob Shoemaker.
He was only a few feet down when the leg gave way. With one caver below, and
several above, Ken was able to get himself up out of the vertical shaft.
This is where his injuries were first assessed. Although we didn’t know how
hard he had hit his head, the injuries looked superficial and only a small
amount of blood was flowing. His lips were swelling and a deep, bleeding
cut needed stitches. His one legged effort to climb up had nearly
exhausted him. With a reddened face and sweat rolling off him, he rested as
we tried to immobilize his injured leg. I was wearing cinch type kneepads,
the kind with three straps that feed through loops and wrap back over to
fasten with velcro. When all three straps are pulled tight, it does
restrict knee movement, and by adding two more pads around the knee, and
securing with webbing, the leg was well protected and fairly immobilized.
Ken was in good spirits at this point, considering his fall and the obvious
pain he was in. He decided he could crawl along backwards on his butt if
someone could hold his foot up off the rock. This worked for a short while
but his injuries and the extreme effort of pulling himself up out of the
vertical shaft had nearly exhausted him. He was soaked in sweat under his
cave suit but the effort of crawling along was keeping him warm. Steam rose
from his body and beads of sweat rolled down into the bloody cut on his
face. None of us knew how bad the injuries were: we feared they were worse
than he let on.
The floor of the cave is breakdown all the way out from where we were.
There were high rock piles and some crawling to do before we reached the
entrance. He struggled along slowly until he reached some big, loose rock,
where we helped him stand and hop. He was able to hobble through the 50
foot canyon like passage, in the breakdown rock, with the help of the group.
He crawled on his butt through some small holes in the rock. This part was
kind of quick because he could help, but his energy soon ran out and we were
faced with fully carrying him out. We still had a long way to go. With
about 8 people helping at this point and Ken resting, Bob decided to get the
stretcher from PSC’s fieldhouse. It had become obvious that we would have
to fully carry him and the ominous task of descending the mountain, possibly
in the dark, trying to maneuver an injured caver, began to worry us. The
realization of just how difficult this was going to be crept over us.
Having never been trained in cave rescue, nor involved in extracting anyone
from a cave, it took a while for me to realize the incredible amount of
manpower that would be necessary to get Ken off the mountain. There were
only a few of us and we were quickly running out of steam.
With Ken now pretty much out of it, Bob and one of the others gone to get
the stretcher, our lack of leadership in trying to transport over rough
terrain became more of a problem. The absolute right thing to do was not
obvious. It was a relief to meet an EMT, Josh Nossaman, who was part of a
group of cavers from Frostburg University, heading into the cave. They
stopped to help and checked Ken’s vitals. Eventually the EMT constructed a
type of rope stretcher which enabled us to carry Ken out. The stretcher
was constructed of rope and made by running the rope back and forth in an
alternating pattern about 3 ½ feet wide and about 5 feet long. He then
twisted a loop in the ends of the alternating part and passed the main part
of the rope back through, which created six handles.
We carried Ken most of the remaining way out in the sling. We had to put
him down frequently to maneuver over large rocks or to regain lost footing.
With three people on each side holding the sling, and 2 or 3 people on the
outside of these, we were able to stumble along and make fair progress. Two
or three people stayed out front, guiding us and flipping rocks to provide
better footing ahead. Reaching the gate was a relief. Piling packs around
the gate provided a smooth and padded ramp that we were able to pass the
injured caver through. Now 2:00 P.M., we rested and looked out over the
beautiful valley below us. There was still a long way to go to get off the
mountain, over steep, dangerous trails.
Ken Jones, Nancy, and I headed down to meet Bob, who was bringing the
stretcher up the mountain. We had communication from the top of the
mountain down to the parking area so we knew when Bob had arrived with the
stretcher. It took a long time to move only a few hundred feet to get out
of the cave and the enormous task of descending the mountain with a fully
loaded stretcher seemed impossible. Just carrying the empty stretcher up
the mountain had Nancy and I out of breath. The trail was bad. The extent
and severity of the injuries were unknown, and everyone was already tired
from the cave extraction. There were only a few hours of daylight
remaining, and we had to get him down now.
Ken was strapped into the stretcher after his leg had been examined by the
EMT in the daylight. It was badly swollen but we splinted the break with
sticks and webbing and padded it as best we could. His wet clothes were
removed and replaced with dry clothes, and he was wrapped in a space blanket
and a wool blanket. A rope was tied to the front of the stretcher, and two
straps to the rear. People were assigned to anchor the stretcher, front and
back, with the rope and straps. Bob Hoke was quickly elected as leader so
we had a single person from whom commands would be issued.
We started down the trail, not knowing what to expect. The stretcher was
dragged where there was enough trail for support. But high on the mountain,
not much trail existed, and the rest seemed to be blocked by trees or rocks.
We lined up along the low side of the trail and supported the exposed side
of the stretcher as it moved along slowly. In places we sat on the uphill
side with our knees level and slid the stretcher over us. All of the while,
rescuers were leapfrogging around to the front of the stretcher after it
passed by. Often the stretcher stopped to wait for us to pass. We had to
clamber around, below the stretcher, on the steep and treacherous
mountainside. People were sliding down and catching trees to stop their
fall, then found the next open spot from which to help support the
stretcher. There were areas where the full stretcher had to be muscled over
obstructions while being balanced and steadied by many hands. By this time
most of the cavers had come out and were helping in the rescue. Boy Scouts,
women, kids, everyone pitched in. And it was a good thing. I don’t think
10 or 15 cavers could have done it. It took all of us that day. We worked
as a team. We all knew that Ken’s misfortune could happen to any of us, at
any time. We knew we had to get him down, and that’s all that mattered.
Nearly 50 people came together that day. We were helping an injured caver
to safety. Ken, still on the stretcher, was put in a pick up truck about
5:00 P.M., some six hours after his injury, and driven to Petersburg
Hospital. He stayed there until after midnight and was finally released to
be driven back to Waynesboro Hospital by his friends in the Franklin County
Grotto.
Ken has been caving since 1989 and has experience in many of the caves
throughout the region. He had previously descended the vertical cave shaft
in Cave Mountain Cave with no problem. He won’t need surgery, but he will
be laid up for 3 ½ months. He plans to stay away from caving for six
months. No cast was required, only a leg splint.
Trip report, Cave Mountain, November 20, 1999
Anne M. Shepard
Eight members and guests of the Franklin County Grotto went to Cave Mountain
on Saturday, November 20, 1999
The trip leader, Patrick Minnick, grotto members Crystal Hunt, Ken Jones,
Gordon Ley, Jonathan Peterson, Anne Shepard, Ken Tayman (51) and guest Bob
Shoemaker met at the Greencastle, Pa. McDonald’s at 7 p.m. on Friday,
November 19. We had fun with the three Motorola Family Radio Service 2 way
radios that Peterson had brought along. We ended up taking three trucks and
one station wagon with two persons in each: Minnick & Shepard in the lead,
then Tayman and Ley, Hunt and Jones, with Peterson and Shoemaker at the
end. Ley was planning to return Saturday night so Tayman’s equipment was
in Minnick and Shepard’s truck. The group arrived at the PSC Fieldhouse
around 10:50 p.m.
Others including Bob Hoke, Charles Kahn, and Pauline Apling were already at
the Fieldhouse because Apling was leading a tourist trip sponsored by the
DCG/PSC grotto into Cave Mountain on the 20th. We all chatted for awhile
then went to sleep either upstairs, or in tents, or the Hill House. The
FCG folk were planning to leave earlier than the assembly time for the
other group, since the other group was expected to have about 30 to 40
people in it.
We arrived at the parking area a mile and a half from the cave entrance in
good fashion. Kahn arrived soon after having decided to take a solo trip in
and out before the other group arrived. The Spring-like conditions we had
awakened to had changed to cooler, overcast, windy weather. After a 40
minute uphill hike in our gear we arrived at the entrance just as it began
to rain. Only Minnick, Tayman, and Shepard had been in the cave before and
Shepard had only been as far as the register which is about 1,000 feet in.
Cave Mountain was the second cave Shoemaker had been in and possibly the
largest Hunt had been in (remember, we’re from Pa.) We took our time to the
register room with Minnick pointing out the rimstone dams and explaining how
they formed to Hunt and Shoemaker.
At the register room, Jones signed in at 11:20 a.m. While we were
finishing registering, Kahn showed up from his solo trip. Discussion
followed about the best route to the lower level. Peterson and Hunt tried
the descent just before the register, Minnick started crawling down below a
boulder at the register, Jones and Tayman tried another route that was
mainly crawling. Ley, Shepard, and Shoemaker waited. Peterson, 6’2”,
realized his route was a stretch for him and told Hunt, 5’1”, to turn back.
As Hunt turned back, she heard a crash, Minnick heard a thump, Peterson,
Ley, Shepard, and Shoemaker all heard Jones say “there’s a man down!” and
“don’t move”, then call out Tayman’s name. It was 11:45 a.m.
There was no response from Tayman, but Jones saw him roll on to his side,
spit, then roll back on to his stomach. Minnick got to Tayman, saw blood on
Tayman’s face and forehead. Minnick saw that Tayman was bleeding profusely
from a pierced lower lip. Tayman also had a small rip on his face at the
left temple which was dripping blood. The lip was messy, but the bang on
the side of Tayman’s head really concerned Minnick. Minnick decided the cave
trip was over and Tayman would go to the emergency room to see about his
face and a possible concussion. Minnick told Ley, Shepard and Shoemaker
first, to go to the truck and bring back two of the radios, with Shepard
staying at the truck and phone, just in case a phone call needed to be made
to emergency personnel, and second, that the group was leaving the cave.
Shepard, Ley & Shoemaker left the cave not knowing about the blood, but
knowing that Tayman’s glasses were broken and that he’d was complaining
about being dizzy. It appeared to them to be possibly a self-rescue, but a
slow one since Tayman cannot see without his glasses and he might have a
concussion.
Minnick turned off Tayman’s helmet light and looked at Tayman’s pupils.
They both seemed to be equal-sized and normal. Tayman’s glasses frames were
bent and Minnick adjusted them with a Leatherman tool, then put them back on
Tayman since Tayman is extremely nearsighted without them. It looked as if
it would be a self-rescue.
It wasn’t going to be that easy. Tayman stood up, but as soon as he put
weight on his left knee, it gave way and he collapsed to the ground as if he
had been shot, then did not move for a few seconds. When he sat up, he
reported nausea and light-headedness. Minnick and Peterson continued to
check out Tayman and find out from Tayman and Jones what had happened.
Apparently, Tayman had been chimneying when his foot slipped, resulting in
first, his knee, then second, his face hitting the rock wall. He then fell
about three to four feet. He had rolled over and spit because he was afraid
he had broken his teeth. He had not.
Meanwhile, on their way out Shepard, Ley & Shoemaker met the first small
group of the DCG/PSC cavers which included Bob Hoke. They told Hoke what had
happened and where. They continued out of the cave, meeting a Boy Scout
troop which had decided to visit the cave that day. When the three cavers
were out on the ridge, they met yet another group going into the cave made
up of Frostburg University students being led by three “wilderness EMTs”.
Shepard told one of the EMTs, Josh Nossaman the problem. Nossaman offered
assistance and Shepard said Tayman was with four of the FCG cavers, Nossaman
would probably meet them on the way in. When Ley, Shepard, and Shoemaker
got to the parking area, Shoemaker and Ley returned to the cave entrance
with a radio, a seat harness and additional rope. Shepard remained at the
trucks with one radio and the phone to relay information to emergency
personnel if necessary.
Minnick, Peterson, Jones, Hunt, and Kahn helped Tayman crawl through
another area to get out of the lower level. Occasionally Tayman put all of
his weight on the other cavers and used his right leg to walk, but he was
shorter than the other men and Hunt was too light to support Tayman’s
weight. Jones and Hunt left the cave to find a makeshift crutch from the
branches around the cave. They succeeded in finding one with a “Y” and a
handhold at just the right level for Tayman. This crutch helped Tayman get
even further toward the cave entrance, but the going was slow.
When the EMTs met the in-cave FCG cavers, the EMTs were concerned about
Tayman becoming hypothermic and wanted to move him quickly to the cave
entrance. Minnick and the other FCG folk were not concerned about
hypothermia until that point because Tayman had kept warm by moving and he
was making progress toward the entrance of the cave. He was sweating
profusely, but he always does on cave trips. But by this time Tayman’s
right leg was weakening. The EMTs wanted to be in charge of the medical
issues and the rescue. It was decided that Hoke would handle the rescue end
and the EMTs would handle Tayman’s medical needs. Hoke and Kahn left for the
cave entrance. The EMTs rigged a rope seat for Tayman which four of the
cavers hoisted so that Tayman did not have to put any weight on either of
his legs.
Once Hoke and Kahn were at the cave entrance, they radioed Shepard to give
directions to the PSC Fieldhouse to get a basket stretcher in case it turned
out not be a self-rescue down the mountain. Shepard did not have a key to
the Fieldhouse. Hoke and Kahn came down the mountain to drive to the
Fieldhouse for the stretcher and ice. While they were gone, Shoemaker came
down the mountain to assist when Hoke and Kahn returned.
Hunt radioed Shepard to say that Tayman was out of the cave. While they
were waiting for the stretcher at the cave entrance, the EMTs removed
Tayman’s left boot and sock. His leg was swollen from the knee to the foot.
He said later that it was not until he saw his leg that he became queasy and
cold. His wet polypro top was removed and he put on a hooded sweatshirt
(from Shoemaker), an orange watch cap (from Nancy Retz-Baltimore Grotto) a
spaceblanket (from George Clappison-Baltimore Grotto) and a rain jacket
(from Scott Kowalo, one of the EMTs) over his coveralls. His left leg was
wrapped in Kahn’s knee pads, then two broken branches were used to
immobilize it with webbing wrapped around the leg and sticks. Peterson’s
knee pads were wrapped around socks to provide support underneath Tayman’s
left knee.
When Hoke and Kahn returned, they hiked up the mountain again with
Shoemaker and Shepard. In addition to the stretcher and ice, they had a
blanket and sleeping bag to wrap around Tayman for the trip down. Although
there had only been a brief sprinkle, the day was still cool and windy.
This was Hoke’s, Kahn’s and Shepard’s second time up the mountain that day,
and Shoemaker’s third. While climbing they radioed ahead requesting that
some of the Boy Scouts come down to carry the litter. Jones showed up to
help carry items, saying the Boy Scouts were still in the cave and the
Frostburg University students were not authorized to help because of
potential liability problems. Of the 20 or so students, two said they would
waive liability and were quite helpful bringing Tayman down the mountain.
When the stretcher arrived, the EMTs bundled Tayman into it, leaving his
hands and arms free because of Tayman’s determination despite the EMTs’
protests. Some of the Boy Scouts and their fathers had by this time come out
of the cave and were available to help, also.
Hoke laid out the plan for getting Tayman down the mountain trail. He
believed that for most of the initial part of the trip down, the stretcher
could be slid along the trail if there was at least one TAG line at the
front (eventually two were used) and if two people were belaying at the
back. Carl Moore (PSC) and Jones belayed in back. One of the Boy Scout
leaders and Hoke led in front. At parts of the trail that were too narrow,
people were to sit on the upper slope of the trail and people would be
standing on the downward slope side of the mountain. The stretcher would
pass on the knees of the sitting people with the assistance of the standing
people. Only the stretcher would move between these people, no people would
move until Tayman was past them. The people would then leapfrog to the next
section of the trail, leapfrogging on the downslope side because otherwise
they might kick dust, leaves and rocks onto Tayman. Once Tayman was at a
less steep grade, eight people would carry the litter, rotating frequently
from side to side and having replacements next to them so that no one would
get burned out.
The trip down the mountain began at 3:10 p.m. and Hoke’s plan worked well.
Everyone cooperated with each other, followed Hoke’s directions, and as more
people came out of the cave, they assisted in moving Tayman down the mile
and half trail to the parking area. By the time we came to that part of
the trail where eight people were able carry the stretcher, it seemed as if
there was forty people around. People were, of course, taking photographs.
We put Tayman (still in the basket stretcher) in the back of Ley’s cabbed
truck with Kowalo at 4:55 p.m. Although the moon was up, it was not sunset
yet.
Kowalo and Nossaman had told Minnick and Hoke that as EMTs once they start
a medical matter, they have to stay with the patient until the patient is
transferred to another medical professional. Nossaman took the Frostburg
University students into Cave Mountain for their cave trip, except for the
two students who had waived liability and assisted throughout the trip down
the mountain. Kowalo accompanied Tayman to the Grant County Memorial
Hospital.
Tayman was checked in at the emergency room in Grant County Memorial
Hospital, Petersburg, West Virginia at 6 p.m. Over the next five and half
hours, he received stitches to the left side of his face (2) and to his
upper lip (5) and x-rays of his knee. He was not allowed to eat anything
because it was unknown whether he might have to go into surgery right away.
At about 10 p.m., the ER doc decided to send him by ambulance to Morgantown
that night. Tayman wanted instead to go to either Waynesboro Hospital or
Washington County Hospital since they were both about 10 miles from his
house. The nurse told us no matter what hospital he was released to he
would have to go by ambulance. The ER doc would only release Tayman to a
different hospital if an on-call orthopedic surgeon at the chosen hospital
spoke with him and agreed to take the case.
After consultation among the FCG folk, Peterson called Waynesboro Hospital
to get the name of the on-call orthopedic surgeon to give to the ER doc. At
about 10:30 p.m. that surgeon told the doc that he could see Tayman on
Sunday and if an immobilizer was put on Tayman’s leg, Tayman could return to
the Waynesboro area by private car. Everyone was relieved, especially
Tayman. It was decided to go back to Pa. that night.
Once the nurses heard there would be no surgery that evening, they nuked
the pizza the FCG folk had brought for Tayman for dinner and he had his
first meal since 8:30 a.m.. Ley had left shortly after Tayman was settled
in at the hospital. Hunt and Jones left from the hospital since Hunt had
the longest drive home. Minnick, Peterson, and Shoemaker went to the
Fieldhouse to return the basket stretcher, pick up everyone’s gear, and to
give Hoke an update. Shepard stayed with Tayman. The ER doc then told
Tayman that he had two broken bones just below the knee joint.
An immobilizer was put on Tayman’s leg over his jeans. By this time
hospital gave him four icepacks for the trip home plus some medications.
Tayman was discharged about 11:30 p.m. on November 20. Minnick, Peterson,
and Shoemaker showed up at about 12:15 p.m. and after getting Tayman
comfortable in Peterson’s backseat, we started home. We arrived at the area
where Shoemaker’s and Tayman’s trucks were and said good-bye to Shoemaker.
Peterson drove Tayman, Minnick drove Tayman’s truck and Shepard drove
Minnick & Shepard’s truck. Shepard parked the truck in Rouzerville and rode
with Minnick on to Blue Ridge Summit. Sometime during the forty-five minute
drive from the truck pickup point to Tayman’s residence in Blue Ridge
Summit, Tayman called ahead to warn his wife that he would be home earlier
than expected, but didn’t tell her very much more because he didn’t want her
to worry.
At 3:33 a.m., Tayman was delivered to his wife and his barking dog,
Cinnamon. After a little conversation, Peterson took Minnick and Shepard
back to their truck then he drove home to Williamson, Pa.
Epilogue:
On Sunday, November 21, 1999, Tayman called the orthopedic surgeon, who
made an appointment to see him in Hagerstown, Maryland on Monday, November
22, 1999. Tayman has a four-inch vertical break on the tibia and another
break around the left ball of the top of the tibia. He’s off his feet for
eight to ten weeks with full recuperation to last about four months. No
surgery in the forecast at this time.
Hugh Bonney
is disturbing. Doesn't WV have "good samaritan" laws? That university
students would not participate, but Boy Scouts would is interesting.
Is Frostburg that anti-civilization? Where are Frostburg students
from? But the first author said nothing about all that - perhaps it
was the preoccupation of a few. Thanks to GC for posting a Rashomon
(sp) story from Cave Mountain Cave. Hopefully everyone would do the
best possible in such circumstances.
H.---
George Clappison <eart...@bcpl.net> wrote:
: George Clappison wrote in message ...
:>A caver was rescued from Cave Mountain Cave in WV on Saturday after
: breaking
:>a leg. More later
:>
:>George Clappison
: Here are two different versions of the rescue.
<can't repost the stories as the newsreader complains that there
are non-US ASCII characters in it. This problem usually occurs
with reposted wire stories and the like. I'm going to write a
filter program to find such characters asap.>
Glawackus
>All the talk about liability, the responsibilities of EMT's, etc,
> is disturbing. Doesn't WV have "good samaritan" laws? That university
> students would not participate, but Boy Scouts would is interesting.
I found the bit about the students odd as well. It helps to remember that just
because somebody got in to college doesn't mean they're smart.
I'm not sure if you're also questioning the responsibilities of the EMT's who
got involved. Once an EMT begins care of a patient they are required to
continue that care until they are relieved by a person with equal or better
certification.
Steve
The above can be construed as personal opinion in the absence of a reasonable
belief that it was intended as a statement of fact. Or it might just be to
generate discussion.
Jo Schaper
<hbo...@netcom13.netcom.com> wrote:
> All the talk about liability, the responsibilities of EMT's, etc,
> is disturbing. Doesn't WV have "good samaritan" laws? That university
> students would not participate, but Boy Scouts would is interesting.
> Is Frostburg that anti-civilization? Where are Frostburg students
> from? But the first author said nothing about all that - perhaps it
> was the preoccupation of a few. Thanks to GC for posting a Rashomon
> (sp) story from Cave Mountain Cave. Hopefully everyone would do the
> best possible in such circumstances.
>
> H.---
In regards to the uni students, they are probably from the
mall, and TV land, where it is always "Mikey's"
responsibility to care for his fellow man, not theirs. It
was probably better that the scouts got involved-- they were
probably better qualified, and able to take direction, (even
though younger) as well as having been inculcated with
values of service to others, than the students.
No, I am not being a crank old fart-- just based on
some of the attitudes I have experienced from folks I am in
school with--not that they aren't good people--they are just
at "that age". Either they will out grow it, or they'll
hire others to take care of it.
Jo
T
State College.....