Long-time Black Hills climber Paul Duvall in Critical Condition Paul Duvall is in a Mexican hospital in critical but stable condition after being robbed and brutally beaten near Monterrey, Mexico.

Paul and his partner Karen have spent many wonderful winters living and climbing in Mexico at El Potrero Chico. Paul and Karen were driving from another climbing area back toward home when they stopped on the ramp of a freeway overpass to make supper. Three men broke their van window while they were parked.

Thankfully Karen was not injured but Paul was beaten severely, sustaining head injuries and life threatening internal injuries to his lungs, kidneys and pancreas. Paul spent a week in an emergency hospital, and has been transferred to another hospital in San Luis Potosi where he is still in critical but stable condition. He has regained consciousness, but is presently being kept sedated and asleep. Karen says four or five different doctors are watching over Paul and he has been receiving excellent care. Karen asks that everyone keep Paul in their prayers and send him positive energy for a complete recovery.

Karen and Paul love Mexico and have a great community of friends throughout the country. Karen is quick to mention that this could have happened anywhere, and hopes that people don’t unfairly assume Mexico is inherently dangerous.

Karen is staying in a hotel next to the hospital and can be reached by phone at 011-52-444-813-3797 extension 1026 between 7-10 p.m Central Time. Paul and Karen, we are all thinking of you! We hope Paul is out of the hospital soon!!!

Bruce

I feel safe climbing there, but these climbing areas are very close to the US border and the campgrounds at Potrero are so totally set up for tourists it hardly feels like Mexico...

i've spent quite a bit of time climbing in mexico, and encountered more dicey situations there than in all my other travels combined. to say you don't have to be really, really heads-up in mexico is crazy. some parts of mexico are truly dangerous...like many places in the u.s., of course, but at least here there is a little bit more control when a situation goes bad.

i've spent quite a bit of time climbing in mexico, and encountered more dicey situations there than in all my other travels combined. to say you don't have to be really, really heads-up in mexico is crazy. some parts of mexico are truly dangerous...like many places in the u.s., of course, but at least here there is a little bit more control when a situation goes bad.

Most of us are very welcoming (ask the spaniards :cry: )

Hey, don't be a hater! :wink:

I´m not, i swear... but sometimes i get pissed off when people put tags on us mexicans :( I´m sorry if i offended anyone.

I'll do so at my own risk

I´m not, i swear... but sometimes i get pissed off when people put tags on us mexicans

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

This information is current as of today, Tue May 03 2005 16:55:39 GMT-0400 (Eastern Standard Time).

Mexico

April 26, 2005

This Public Announcement is to alert U.S. citizens to the continuing unsettled public security situation along the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border. This Public Announcement supercedes the Public Announcement of January 26, 2005 to update the information provided. It expires on July 29, 2005.

Violent criminal activity fueled by a war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade continues along the U.S.-Mexico border. This has resulted in a wave of violence aimed primarily at members of drug trafficking organizations, criminal justice officials and journalists. However, foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and kidnappings in the border region.

A power vacuum within criminal organizations resulting from the imprisonment of several of their leaders along the Mexico-U.S. border continues to contribute to a deterioration of public safety in the region. In recent months, the worst violence has been centered in the city of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where more than 30 U.S. citizens have been kidnapped and/or murdered in the past eight months and public shootouts have occurred during daylight hours near frequented shopping areas and on streets leading to the international bridges. One of the shootouts spilled onto the Mexican side of the bridge itself. Four police officers have been killed in Nuevo Laredo since March.

Mexico's police forces suffer from lack of funds and training, and the judicial system is weak, overworked, and inefficient. Criminals, armed with an impressive array of weapons, know there is little chance they will be caught and punished. In some cases, assailants have been wearing full or partial police uniforms and have used vehicles that resemble police vehicles, indicating some elements of the police might be involved.

U.S. citizens are urged to be especially aware of safety and security concerns when visiting the border region. While the overwhelming majority of victims of these crimes are Mexican citizens, U.S. citizens nonetheless should be aware of the risk posed by this uncertain security situation. The vast majority of the thousands of U.S. citizens who cross the border each day do so safely, exercising common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas of border towns during daylight hours. It is strongly recommended that red-light districts and neighborhoods where street drug dealing occurs be avoided.

U.S. citizens who are victims of crime in the border region are urged to contact the Consular Section of the nearest U.S. consulate for advice and assistance. The following is contact information for the five U.S. border consulates or consulate generals:

The U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana, which covers the states of Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur, is located at Ave. Tapachula 96, Colonia Hipódromo. The Consulate General's telephone number is (52)(664) 622-7400, the fax for the office of American Citizen Services is (664) 686-1168, and the Consulate General's web address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/tijuana/Teacs.htm.

The U.S. Consulate in Nogales, which covers northern Sonora, is located at Calle San Jose, Fraccionamiento Los Alamos. The Consulate's telephone number is (52)(631) 313-4820, the fax for the Consulate is (52) (631) 313-46-52, the e-mail address for the Consulate is nogales7@prodigy.net.mx and the Consulate's web address is http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/nogales/NE_Introduction.htm.

The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez, which covers the state of Chihuahua, is located at Avenida Lopez Mateos 924 Norte. The Consulate General's telephone number is (52)(656) 611-3000, the fax for the Consulate General is (656) 616-9056, the e-mail address for the Consulate General's Office of American Citizen Services is cdjamericancitizens@state.gov, and the Consulate General's web address is http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/mx2/wwwhmain.html.

The U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, which covers northern Coahuila and northwestern Tamaulipas states, is located at Calle Allende 3330, Colonia Jardin. The Consulate's telephone number is (52)(867) 714-0512, the e-mail address for the Consulate's Office of American Citizen Services is NuevoLaredo-ACS@state.gov, and the Consulate's web address is http://nuevolaredo.usconsulate.gov/nuevolaredo/index.html.

The U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, which covers eastern and southern Tamaulipas state, is located at Calle Primera #2002, Colonia Jardin. The Consulate's telephone number is (52)(868) 812-4402, the fax for the Consulate is (868) 812-2171, and the Consulate's web address is http://matamoros.usconsulate.gov/.

Americans living or traveling in Mexico are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Mexico. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

Updated information on travel and security for Mexico may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the U.S., or from overseas, 1-202-501-4444. U.S. citizens should consult the Consular Information Sheet for Mexico, the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, and the travel publication A Safe Trip Abroad, all of which are available on the State Department's Internet site at http://travel.state.gov.

I´ve read my share of cr@p in this post ("to say you don't have to be really, really heads-up in mexico is crazy")

one more note: maybe this thread should get split so that people who want to compare notes on international travel don't have to do it in a thread devoted to wishing paul a speedy and complete recovery.

Quick update: It is sounds like Paul is doing better and will probly be flying to Tulsa, OK sometime next week to begin therapy.

Wonderful!!