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randyb
Feb 9, 2009, 3:44 AM
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There is a news article about a 21 year old climber seriously injured at Garden of the Gods today, does anyone know any information on this latest accident???
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randyb
Feb 9, 2009, 3:48 AM
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http://www.gazette.com/articles/gods_47680___article.html/climber_condition.html
this is all I could find
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randyb
Feb 9, 2009, 3:57 AM
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The article says that he fell on a walkway. I think it had to be Potholes or White Spire.
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blondgecko
Moderator
Feb 9, 2009, 4:02 AM
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Moved to Accident and Incident Analysis.
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N_Oo_B
Feb 9, 2009, 4:46 AM
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owe.
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randyb
Feb 9, 2009, 9:02 AM
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Thanks for the link, so tragic. Hope he recovers... doesn't sound good.
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robdotcalm
Feb 9, 2009, 2:46 PM
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From Stewart Green's website.
"The climber apparently untied, threaded his rope through a large quicklink on the chains, and prepared to rappel with a figure-8 descender. He failed, however, to thread both sides of his rope through the descender and locking carabiner, instead just securing one side in the device. So when he stood up and weighted the rope, it zipped through the quicklink and dropped him down the vertical face.."
http://climbing.about.com/...rden-of-the-gods.htm
Moral: Clip into the anchor before setting up the rappel. Then weight the rappel before unclipping. I've been around many good otherwise good climbers who don't clip in before setting up the rappel. This finished the climbing career of one of these.
Best wishes to the victim for a good recovery.
Cheers,
Rob.calm
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iknowfear
Feb 9, 2009, 6:42 PM
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In reply to: Moral: Clip into the anchor before setting up the rappel. Then weight the rappel before unclipping. I've been around many good otherwise good climbers who don't clip in before setting up the rappel. This finished the climbing career of one of these.
seconded. saved my ass once... I clipped my atc AROUND the rappeling-sling, not in. Tried to weight the line, realized my error, adrenaline rush (since I was already grabing the biner to unclip), but no lasting harm done... ever since I am even more careful about setting and starting rappels.
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N_Oo_B
Feb 10, 2009, 4:42 AM
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sad, I'm curious his condition now. What kind of damage was caused?
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melrae
Feb 11, 2009, 3:38 PM
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Gentleman is one of my best friends, i have visited the hospital multiple friends. he was climbing with 4 others and was the last one to head down off of potholes. he landed on the sidewalk below. multiple, multiple fractures and serious spinal injuries. he landed in the rappelling position. His dad came in from Tennessee on Sat night and remains by his side. Please keep your thoughts and prayers with them.
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randyb
Feb 11, 2009, 6:31 PM
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We are all pulling for him man. I hope he can recover!!!
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N_Oo_B
Feb 14, 2009, 6:20 AM
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aye, wish him well.
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randyb
Feb 16, 2009, 6:55 PM
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How is the recovery coming?
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petsfed
Feb 16, 2009, 7:21 PM
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robdotcalm wrote: Moral: Clip into the anchor before setting up the rappel. Then weight the rappel before unclipping. I've been around many good otherwise good climbers who don't clip in before setting up the rappel. This finished the climbing career of one of these.
Its a quick visual check to ensure that everything is as it should be. Plus, it allows you to cinch up all the slack in the system without having to work all that hard.
I can't remember the last time I didn't pre-test the rap system before I unclipped by tether. I even remind my partners (people who have been climbing for just as long as I have) when they are about to unclip. There is zero reason to trust your setup without testing it first. Testing my setup is one of the few unbreakable rules I have.
And I am very happy to hear that the victim survived, and hopefully he'll recover to the point that this fall will just be a lesson in safety, rather than a reason to quit climbing.
(This post was edited by petsfed on Feb 16, 2009, 7:24 PM)
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durangoclimber
Feb 16, 2009, 7:41 PM
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Any update on his condition? All the best to him and his family.
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socalclimber
Feb 16, 2009, 9:25 PM
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This is a check you cannot afford to miss.
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melrae
Feb 17, 2009, 6:19 AM
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He is doing well all surgeries are going as planned and he is beginning to breathe on his own. He is responding and his brain is ok thus far!!!... I won't go into detail but its likely he is paralyzed from the waist down. |
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blueeyedclimber
Feb 17, 2009, 2:48 PM
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melrae wrote: He is doing well all surgeries are going as planned and he is beginning to breathe on his own. He is responding and his brain is ok thus far!!!... I won't go into detail but its likely he is paralyzed from the waist down. THanks for the update. I am glad he is alive. I hope this accident teaches newer climbers (and experienced ones) out there the importance of backups and checks. I always weight the rappel line before i take any backups off. The consequence of a mistake is just too great. We are pulling for him. Josh
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durangoclimber
Feb 17, 2009, 3:22 PM
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Thanks for the update. Give him all our best from the RC.com community.
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randyb
Feb 22, 2009, 6:59 PM
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Man I think about how horrible this incident must have been for his climbing partners.... Just sad. Never be afraid to offend anyone with basic questions like.... where are you threaded through? Did you weight the rappel before unclipping? Everytime....
(This post was edited by randyb on Feb 22, 2009, 7:00 PM)
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majid_sabet
Mar 1, 2009, 3:23 AM
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Army Veteran is Lifesaving Climbing Hero
Saturday February 28, 2009
Back on February 8, I wrote a blog post about a rappelling accident at the Garden of the Gods. The climber who fell, a 21-year-old U.S. Air Force Academy cadet, is still in critical condition at the Academy hospital and no details about him, including his name, have been released. So, despite rumors on other Internet climbing sites, he is still alive.
From the accident, however, a hero has emerged—a non-climber named Sergeant 1st Class Jesus Rodriguez, an eight-year U.S. Army soldier and Iraq veteran stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. It turns out that Rodriguez, trained in first-aid by an Army lifesaving course, heard the climber fall and hit the concrete pathway below the spire, and was immediately on the scene.
He immediately took charge, tipping the victim on his side to drain blood from his lungs, and applying pressure to other injuries until a doctor and EMTs arrived on the scene. For his efforts, the Army awarded Rodriguez the Meritorious Service Medal. Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Lobdell, his commanding officer, said at the award ceremony: “There are people like him who are heroes in our Army and then go out and be heroes to the citizens in our community.”
Here’s a tip of the beanie to Sergeant Rodriguez. Well done, sir!
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Vicar
Mar 2, 2009, 5:18 PM
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majid_sabet wrote: From the accident, however, a hero has emerged—a non-climber named Sergeant 1st Class Jesus Rodriguez, an eight-year U.S. Army soldier and Iraq veteran stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.
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acorneau
Mar 2, 2009, 10:06 PM
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Vicar wrote: majid_sabet wrote: From the accident, however, a hero has emerged—a non-climber named Sergeant 1st Class Jesus Rodriguez, an eight-year U.S. Army soldier and Iraq veteran stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Proof that Jesus Saves.
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