How did Bridge Day go?

Devil · October 20th, 2002, 05:46 AM

Any one?

Buddman

**base428** · October 21st, 2002, 02:34 AM

-745 jumps
-Two ambulance rides (a sprained ankle and lacerations from a landing). Both were discharged and attended the Saturday night party.
-The worst injury was to a rappeller.
-The river was high, but may have been a blessing in disguise.
-Safest Bridge Day ever, with the most 1st timers from what I hear.
-An awesome launch ramp on top of the Go Fast Sports bus.
-No competition or political BASE BS. Just a great BASE boogie.

More later.....

------------
Jason Bell (BASE428)
Email: jbell@vertical-visions.com
Web: www.vertical-visions.com or www.bridgeday.info

**base311** · October 22nd, 2002, 06:31 AM

Hey Jason,

Thanks again for all of your hard work.

To make it more personal, this is a post I got from a caving mailing list re: the rappeller.

___begin repost___

4) Serious rappel accident at Bridge Day
By: Bruce Smith (Harrison, Tennessee)

It is regrettable, but as all those on the bridge over the New River (876' high) know, a rappeller from Washington, PA, Jeff Clark, a paramedic firefighter, lost control of his rappel and landed on the railroad tracks at a great rate of descent. He was treated and transported by helicopter to Charleston Medical where he was diagnosed with Fractured Lumbar vertebrae, possible cracked pelvis, kidney damage,
spleen dammage and liver failure.

It was his first rappel on the bridge and was observed having great difficulty from the start with six bars. Somewhere on down the rope he figured out to remove one of those bars and was able to descend at a controlled rate of speed. Just above tree line he was observed accelerating to a high rate of descent and landed on his back with his feet in the air. He was 220 lbs and his wife 115 was bottom belaying him ran with the rope sideways but as he fell, he simply pulled her off her feet and yanked her backwards.

He was found clutching his rack with only 4 bars on the rope. I am guessing when he dropped the sixth bar, 2 acctually dropped and he was left with 4 engaged on the rope providing friction. This probably worked fine at the upper altitudes but as he got nearer the ground he was unable to re-engage the necessary bars to provide the needed friction. He was also observed fighting his top-heaviness as he did not have a chest harness to keep him upright and again surmizing that he was
forced to fight not only the friction problem, but the upright problem at the same time, loosing both battles during the crisis.

This is the first rappelling accident at Bridge Day that has ever occurred.

This is all I know at this point.
Bruce Smith

___end repost___

Just thought I'd share this info; dunno if any of us got that much detail. Perhaps we could all send him well-wishes somehow. I'll see what else I can find out (email address, etc.).

Take care,
Gardner