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tgreene
Sep 11, 2006, 9:29 PM
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This past weekend, my regular climbing partner (a guy from Memphis) and our wives headed to NW Arkansas to meet a couple of friends from St. Louis, for what we thought would be a typical climbing & camping weekend... It was anything but!
Sam and Kim arrived to pick Cathy and me up at about 6:00am on Saturday, for the 4.5 hour drive to Sams Throne, just up the mountain from Mt. Judea... We arrived at 11:00am and set up camp, then Sam and I rappelled into the valley floor and hiked over to the Throne where we dropped out gear and found our friends from St. Louis. After chatting with them for a few minutes, we went back to where we left out packs and climbed there for about 45 minutes, with each of us getting a good lead climb in.
While we were there, our wives showed up, which surprised really us, because it's a very strenuous trail and it can be difficult to get in and out of the valley, from the rim above. They hung out with us for awhile and continued to stay with us as we packed up and went back to where Callie and Kent were climbing some much more difficult routes. We all hung out there and climbed several routes together, when my wife began getting a migraine, so she and Kim started back before Cathy's migraine became too debilitating for her to be able to make it back to camp.
About 2 hours later, a call came across my radio from Cathy, stating that Kim had taken a bad fall, and broke her ankle. I dug in my pack to reach my radio, hit the [PTT] button and asked her to repeat and clarify... "Kim fell off the trail and broke her ankle. It's bad!". I assured her that we would all be there as quickly as we could, but that it would take us some time to get to them, and also asked her to meet us at the trail-head, since we had no idea where they even were. Fearing the worst, I also asked for clarification as to whether they were at the top or the bottom of the canyon rim, and she responded that they were in fact at the top (Thank God!).
Since we had just finished our last route for the day not 15 minutes before the call came from Cathy, we were fortunately about done separating and packing our gear, and were in the midst of debating which way we should hike out, and were discussing going to the river to take a swim... That was to be a short lived conversation!
The four of us (Sam, Callie, Kent and myself) all seemed to make it to the bottom of the canyon rim in record time, and without running or risking injury to any of us during our hasty retreat. As soon as we got to what's known as the scramble area (still a difficult climb by any means, as it's steep, smooth, slopy and relatively featureless), I dropped my pack and began to gear up, so that we could get up as quickly and safely as possible... As soon as I had geared up, I realized that Sam had already unpacked the rope and was ready for me to tie-in and begin climbing out -- Our necessity to get the ropes set as quickly as possible before Callie and Kent got to us, all the while knowing that Sam's wife was laying somewhere in the forest with a presumably broken ankle, could have turned into a cluster f&%k, yet our actions and timing were nearly mechanical and textbook, as if rehearsed a thousand times over... It wasn't a matter of deciding who's doing what and when, but rather who's in a better position to do what and when. It was Sam's wife that was down, so he damn sure didn't need to be on lead without his "lead head" on, besides, once the top-belay was setup, the belayer would have to stay there until the last climber was up, then pack up the gear... I lead and setup the belay, then Sam followed and immediately hit the trail in search of our wives. 15 minutes later, the rest of us were also en route, having dropped our packs in order to travel faster and lighter.
Upon removing my pack, I pulled 2 'Sam Splints' and a 6" Ace bandage that for some bizarre reason I decided to toss into my pack the night before. I have never before carried them (they generally stay in the trunk of the car), but when packing for this trip the night before, I had a feeling that if something were to happen in this extremely remote area, I'll wish I had them.
After some more limited radio communication, we set off on 2 separate trails in the general direction that we were told, in hopes of finding them as quickly as possible... We all arrived at about the same time, and as soon as we actually saw Kim's leg, we discovered that it was worse than we were expecting. Her right leg was laying straight out in front of her, with her foot turned all the way outward and slightly down.
Sam immediately grabbed his knife to begin cutting the laces off her shoe, when I stopped him and suggested leaving it intact to be able to use it as a solid base in which to form the splint around her foot and up her leg, since we would need to completely immobilize her leg and foot in the position in which it currently was, in the hopes of not doing any further damage.
Being that Kent is a retired MD, I asked him if he would form the initial splint, since he would know better than the rest of us as to exactly what we needed to do. After the first splint was placed and formed around her leg, he held it firmly in place while instructing me where to place the second one for extra rigidity. He then held both of them in place while I wrapped them securely with a huge Ace bandage. Cathy and Callie were doing their best to console Kim, while Sam had run back to camp to get some pain pills and webbing, as well as his car to the immediate entrance of the trailhead... During Sam's return, he carefully paced out the distance between the car and where we were, and immediately informed us that the trail was exactly 180 yards; consisting of loose debris on a narrow path, with a minimal uphill grade the entire way.
After splinting Kim's foot and stabilizing it to the knee, and allowing 15-20 minutes for the pain meds to take effect, we began to fashion a seat and chest harness around her, with the webbing and a couple of additional runners. We then fashioned a leg sling that ran around her neck and was cinched down to just above the knee of her broken leg. This was done to be absolutely certain that her leg could not swing around or touch ground at any time, in hopes of minimizing her pain.
Once we were satisfied that we could safely stand her up and support her with 2 of us under her arms, we began the arduous task of having her "hop" down the trail, while we supported her with one arm and held onto the make-shift harness with our opposite hand... After about 50 feet or so, it quickly became apparent that hopping was causing a tremendous amount of additional pain for her, so we sat Kim back down to rest and relax a bit. At that point it was decided that despite the rugged uphill terrain and very narrow trail, we were going to have to carry her out.
With Sam and Kent supporting her back and shoulders, and Callie and I each supporting her legs, we made good time getting her to the car... We had to stop a few times however, to allow Sam to break back several branches just enough to widen portions of the trail so that we could pass without incident.
All along the trail during the carry-out, Sam and Kent were very conscientious to make sure that Callie and I were aware of any and all obstacles in our path, since we were unable to see them. They did so by stating what the obstacle was, where it was situated in regards to the center of the path, and the size of said obstacle. Without the convenience of having a litter basket at our disposal, and Kim's comfort and immobilized leg being the only thing that mattered to any of us, I honestly don't believe that we could have possibly handled her extraction in any better manner.
Once we got her into the car, Sam called 911 to locate the nearest hospital, and off they went.
Cathy, still suffering from her migraine, returned to camp in search from some pain meds. Kent, Callie and I back-tracked to recover our packs that we had dropped, then decompressed for the next 35-40 minutes at the top of the cliffs, while watching the sun set over the mountains.
We returned to camp, ate dinner, watched numerous bugs fight for survival and obviously discussed what had transpired over the past couple of hours at great length.
At 2:00am, Sam returned to camp and I immediately got up to help him move Kim to their tent, at which time he informed me that she sustained a Tib/Fib fracture with a severely dislocated ankle, that she was admitted to the hospital for the night, and that she would be needing surgery as soon as they could get back to Memphis and see an Orthopedic specialist.
Sam told us that the doctor seemed to be extremely impressed with the splinting job that we had done, and actually asked who did it, thinking it was a volunteer EMS Unit or Fire Department somewhere... Sam replied that we're just a bunch of rock climbers, and that 1 of his partners actually happened to be carrying 'Sam Splints' in his pack. Because of the stability and immobilization that we had achieved with the splints, the medical staff that was treating Kim elected to keep them in place during most of the diagnostics that Kim received, removing them only after x-rays and immediately before adjusting and casting her leg.
*******************************************
While we never know if we'll ever need certain items such as splints and Ace bandages, it's certainly a good idea to carry a couple just in case. Had we not been able completely immobilize her foot and leg, things may have turned out very different, as Sam was told that while the Fibula was completely separated and shifted, the edge of her Tibia had actually caught on the lower edge of the Fibula that was still connected to the ankle. It can only be assumed that any other movement may well have dislodged the Tibia, most likely resulting in a penetrating compound fracture, exposing bone and tissue to the very dirty environmental conditions.
-Tim
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svilnit
Sep 12, 2006, 11:58 AM
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I don't typically climb in such remote areas but I do believe I'm going to start carrying some more first aid supplies. Thanks for the story TGreen, best wishes for Kim!
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tgreene
Sep 12, 2006, 12:27 PM
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Kim went in for surgery at 7:00am this morning...
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hedgehawg
Sep 12, 2006, 8:43 PM
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Sam, very, very sorry to hear about your wife's accident. Hope she makes a full recovery!
.....I swear, we can't take Tim anywhere without something getting broke can we... :D
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tgreene
Sep 12, 2006, 8:45 PM
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No Soup For You! :evil:
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rockscars
Sep 12, 2006, 9:46 PM
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I hope the best for the injured (May she have a full and speedy recovery!) and commend the rescuers! Sam's is a dangerous place, it is very fortunate that she wasn't down by the throne! Tim makes a good point about carrying supplies we don't think about sometimes! I am very fortunate that the Boy Scouts taught me to "BE PREPARED!"
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fitzontherocks
Sep 12, 2006, 9:46 PM
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A speedy recovery to Kim. Thanks for the detailed report. Yup, need to carefully re-evaluate my woefully inadequate First Aid supplies.
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bigbiscuit
Sep 12, 2006, 10:08 PM
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I'm sorry to hear about your wife and hope her recovery goes well. I regularly climb Sam's throne and understand your situation. It wouldn't be easy to evacuate somebody that's injured. I saw a SAM's Splint demonstrated at a rescue class last year. They are awesome. You were smart to have one on hand. Every outdoor climber should take a SAM's Splint and strech gauze on every climb. I just recently purchased a SAM's splint from REI online for about $18.
Here's the SAMs Medical product link...http://www.sammedical.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SamSite.woa/wa/Products/Splint for those who want to check a SAM's Splint out...
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tgreene
Sep 12, 2006, 10:16 PM
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I've been using them since the late 80's, when I worked as a raft guide.
It's amazing how many people have never heard of them, and also scary at the same time, because they get so little press in the outdoor industry.
FWIW: I bought mine from Gear Express. They were not listed online, so I had to call and ask for them...
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tgreene
Sep 13, 2006, 12:00 AM
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I just spoke w/ Sam, and he informed me that the surgeon was able to perfectly knit the bones back together, and that the Ortho doc said he couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome.
The surgery went so well in fact, that they did not feel it was necessary to keep her overnight, so she is home resting in bed with her leg propped up and was joking about the accident when I called a few minutes ago.
All of your well wishes, good vibes, and prayer have payed off, and on behalf of Sam and Kim, THANK YOU!
-Tim
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majid_sabet
Sep 13, 2006, 1:59 AM
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Good job Timmy
Here is what I think contributed to this speedy self rescue
1- Good communications ( Frs)
2- Good first responders with first aid kit
3- Good leadership, and right planning
What did I miss?
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tgreene
Sep 13, 2006, 2:45 AM
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In reply to: Good job Timmy Here is what I think contributed to this speedy self rescue 1- Good communications ( Frs) 2- Good first responders with first aid kit 3- Good leadership, and right planning What did I miss?
No shit man, we tried in vain to keep a light and humorous atmosphere rather than freaking out under the stress, so everything was Majid would do this, or Majid would be mad that Kim was hiking without a helmet...
At one point when we were resting, Kim spoke up and said there has to be something that we can do to end the pain, at which point I grabbed a large flat rock and lifted it towards her, and launched into an evil laugh, saying I saw this in a movie once... She wasn't too keen on that idea, but acknowledged that it would certainly work. :shock:
Before that, we discussed the options that race horses get when they break legs, and reassured her that they did in fact hold off on the needle and allowed the latest injured race horse to live... She liked that idea, A LOT! :lol:
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stamplis
Sep 13, 2006, 3:02 AM
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Ok - so pictures 1 and 3 make perfect sense to me but am I the only one a little confused about whats going on in picture 2? :oops:
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jakedatc
Sep 13, 2006, 3:13 AM
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picture 2 is how to move someone out of a burning building.. notice the smoke over their heads.. it's to allow both people to be low to the ground.
and i was talking about the left side of picture 2 with the 2 pairs of hands in a box
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majid_sabet
Sep 13, 2006, 4:52 AM
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My Photos came from US MILITARY book so call them them up.
But I love your # 2 photo, looks like she is ridding the injured climber.
Ohh yaa baby, give it to me
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jakedatc
Sep 13, 2006, 11:45 AM
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yea.. the military also jumps out of planes at 500 ft with circle chutes that can't steer but you don't see sky divers doing it do ya?
i think pic 2 is a silly way of dragging someone in a fire.. i would think scooting on your hip and dragging them by an arm would be easier. would have to get a firefighter on here to say how they are trained.
anyway.. Tim i'm glad that Kim is in good spirits.. hope she gets well soon
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tgreene
Sep 13, 2006, 2:08 PM
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1) The BSA way to kidnap small children.
2) Bound and gagged alter boy riding a Priest.
3) Eagle Scouts dancing arm in arm.
What do I win..? :lol:
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rockscars
Sep 13, 2006, 10:47 PM
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In reply to: 1) The BSA way to kidnap small children. 2) Bound and gagged alter boy riding a Priest. 3) Eagle Scouts dancing arm in arm. What do I win..? :lol:
a few months in purgatory at least :lol:
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crimpergirl
Sep 15, 2006, 5:17 AM
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It was a well-executed rescue, no doubt. And even given the nasty injury, Kim was a super-trooper. Tim had covered her in webbing in order to make the carry-out easier. After she was 'webbed' I looked down and commented that Kim was both equalized and redundant. We all cackled over that one - including Kim. I would hope that had I been in her position, I would have had half as much calmness!
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htotsu
Sep 15, 2006, 6:22 AM
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In reply to: Majid.. For a QUICK evac your pictures look rediculous and slow.
Honestly, what does a comment like that accomplish? Obviously different circumstances call for different choices, and what was posted could come in handy to someone. Maybe being in your suggested seated position would aggravate that person's injury, especially if the carriers need to take breaks and keep putting the injured person down. Maybe your second person has an injured arm and can't link up with you to carry your third person. Maybe there were only two of you in the first place, and you have to think of something else entirely so one of you can carry the other one.
The point is, if all you happen to have is a rope, then hey, how can knowing about that option be bad? Sheesh. Of course if you know of something faster that works in your situation, you use it! But if you don't, then wouldn't you be glad to have an alternative?
Tgreene, very glad to know that all ended so well - oddly, miraculously well, in fact. From you having the materials to the actual surgery itself, everything fit together as well as can be hoped for after such an accident. All the best, and thanks for sharing this so others can be safer.
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sumo
Sep 15, 2006, 6:47 AM
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That was a really well written and detailed accident report.
Given the circumstances I don’t think anything could have been done better. As it was said before being prepared, having excellent communication, and not endangering yourselves was very well done.
I hope the surgery goes well.
http://www.sammedical.com/...a/wa/Products/Splint
S
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jimo
Sep 15, 2006, 12:18 PM
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Excellent response to this accident, seems like your group was all thinking rationally.
Let's not dis the Boy Scouts- there are many of us who got the jones from scouts. "Be Prepared", "Plan ahead and prepare" (www.LNT.ORG) etc are wise words of wisdom. Everyone who wanders out into remote areas should be as prepared as these folks were; do yourself a favor and take a wilderness first aid course. Don't leave your first aid kit, or trama kit in the car, that's silly. I carry this bohemith trama kit, weighs a ton but it's insurance that if something happens, I'm ready.
BTW as I read this, I thought my nephew Tim from STL was somehow involved, small world.
jimo
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