Re: Elves Accident (long story)

mwb@pacbell.net
Mon, 28 Jul 1997 07:59:37 -0700

Bruce Schroeder wrote:
>
> On July 1 my group (13 people at this point) stopped at Elves Chasm
> for a hike. We arrived just as a commercial was leaving and had the
> place to ourselves. We were having a great time posing for pictures
> under the waterfall and splashing around in the water. Most of us
> were headed back to the boats when we heard a cry for assistance. My
> buddy Kurt was sitting on the ledge about fifteen feet above the pool
> posing for a picture. He reached behind and misplaced his hand falling
> headfirst down behind and out of sight. Two of the group watched him
> disappear and heard the awful sound of head hitting rock. (They
> described the sound like a watermelon hitting rock and both had
> nightmares for days) They swam / jumped across the pool and did a
> quick assessment on Kurt. The first person to reach him was Judy, a
> physician and she looked him over and moved him across the pond to
> some daylight to check further. Kurt remained conscious and was able
> to describe the injuries to his head, neck, and hip.
>
> By the time I scrambled back up to the pond and saw him the back of
> his head was covered with blood. I went back to the boat to get our
> (extensive) first aid kit and informed the rest of the group. About
> this time Arizona Raft Adventures (AZRA) motor rig pulled up and
> offered assistance. Tom, the guide was a terrific calming influence
> on me. He asked me three or four specific questions before he even
> got off his boat. By then we had brought Kurt down to river level. We
> were watching for signs of concussion, etc. At this point we were
> thinking of evacuation and AZRA offered to motor Kurt & Judy
> downstream to Blacktail Canyon which would make for a good helicopter
> landing spot. As they headed off it was a pretty sober group that
> pulled together to float down to Blacktail.
>
> By the time we arrived Judy & Tom had a "surgical suite" all set up
> on a ledge in the shade of Blacktail Canyon. Judy had a sterile
> suture kit and put in six stitches. Ice from AZRA was used to cool
> down the neck injuries. Judy and I sat down with Kurt and recommended
> that we fly him out. He disagreed saying he would feel better in the
> morning. It's moments like this that are true "trip leader dilemmas".
> What would you do as trip leader if you and your trip medical person
> (in this case a doctor) thought it was time to evacuate and the
> potential "evacuee" disagreed? The better you know someone the more
> complicated it can become. Kurt has been on every Grand trip I have
> ever made. Will your decisions as trip leader have lasting negative
> influences when you return to "real life"? Way back when setting up
> the trip I had printed out how decisions would be made and how most
> decisions would be consensus but some decisions would be made by me
> for safety reasons. Should trip leaders demand that people sign a
> "disclosure statement"?
>
> While all these things were going through my head, Judy and I decided
> we could postpone making a final decision until later that night.
> Blacktail Canyon was a great place for the group to camp, hang out,
> take photos, nap, etc. One drawback to hanging out here was that it
> was 105 degrees in the sun making it too hot to unload the boats
> until 7:30 PM.
>
> By dinner time Kurt's physical signs were stable and he was out of
> immediate danger. His head did not hurt as much as his neck and hip.
> He decided that he would be unable to row and would be uncomfortable
> riding on the boat. Judy and I agreed with him. One of our group got
> out his Pilot's radio and began radioing for help. In this section of
> the river there are no sightseeing flights. Our best shot would be a
> commercial airliner monitoring the emergency frequency. After several
> tries over the next hour contact was made with US Air which relayed
> the message to the Park Service for a morning evacuation.
>
> The next morning we heard the helicopter shortly after 8 AM. Kurt got
> to shoot off an emergency flare for an early July 4 celebration. After
> an evaluation by the EMT Kurt boarded the helicopter and flew out. He
> spent some time in the clinic on the South Rim for X rays and a
> checkup. He was able to fly out later that day and return to Salt
> Lake City where he recovered and was able to return to work in a
> week. He seems to be recovering well at least well enough to plan a
> birthday celebration for his birthday which happens to be today the
> 23rd.
>
> Another note for those of you with trip evacuations. The cost for
> Kurt's evacuation was around $2000. They expect payment at time of
> services and yes they do take VISA. In the fine print in my permit it
> says that the trip leader would be responsible for these costs if Kurt
> couldn't or wouldn't pay. I had informed everyone to check their
> personal medical insurance to make sure emergencies were covered. One
> person on our trip bought evacuation/medical insurance for around $75
> for this type of situation. It sure beats the NPS collecting from me
> and then me collecting from the evacuee.
>
> This message is intended for this list serve only. I feel like this
> has been a windy, vulnerable message but it is helping me to
> continue to work through all the emotions, thoughts, etc. that can
> come up on a trip. I know I would want other trip leaders to share
> their stories. Hopefully others out there will share reactions and
> wisdom in future posts to the list here.
>
> Thanks for "listening"
>
> Bruce Schroeder, Salt Lake City
> PS. The rest of trip went without incident, partly because our safety
> director "restricted " all hiking and climbing the rest of the trip.
> "Boatmen" were not allowed to leave their boats. (grin)
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Hey Bruce. The sounds of water melons falling are no fun. Like the
crunch of metal after a long tire squeal!. Sounds like you made the
right decisions however. As the patient was conscious and apparently
evaluating his own situation the bottom line appeared when he stated he
wouldn't be comfortable riding or rowing a boat. Chopper becomes the
only answer.

Onward. I am trying to find a boater in SLC? named Dave Innskeep. He
bought a dory kit from Greg Tatman wooden Boats in Oregon and outfitted
it for Canyon use. I am embarking on the same path and would like to
pick his brain. How'd he like the boat etc. Also, anyone who has built
their own dory I'd like to talk to on the subject.

Happy to listen. Anytime. B. G. Tackett, Woodland, CA
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