27 April 2001
Blue Springs Cave, White County Tennessee
Dislocated Shoulder
Injury and Aid
On Friday 27 April 2001, at about 11:00 a.m., a group of five cavers entered Blue Springs Cave. After traversing about 2,000 feet of passage, the group started up a short climb. At about 1:00 p.m. Robert Richards (48) of Sugarland, Texas was reaching for a handhold when his left shoulder became dislocated. Richards was in a lot of pain, and was unable to move through the tight and narrow passages. Some of his companions remained with him, while others left the cave and called for help. White County Rescue personnel responded, assessed the situation, and determined that additional help would be needed. A full call-out of cave rescue resources was ordered at 5:15 p.m.
After CHCRS was called and asked to respond and gather up resources under the approval of White County EMA, I called in additional personnel from Walker County Cave Rescue. We had our team members that live in Huntsville and Nashville respond and bring in some of their local cavers, for additional support. The Putnam County Cave Rescue team was also called in by White County. They were the first to arrive on site, and set up command of the operation. Medical personnel from Putnam County were able to set the shoulder and immobilize it with a sling and duct tape. Richards was then able to move through the cave with assistance, greatly reduce the numbers of rescuers needed. A call went out at 9:40 p.m. to stand down.
Richards made his way out, assisted by rescuers and belayed on several short climbs and a ladder near the entrance. He exited the cave at 10:36 p.m. and was taken by private auto to McMinnville, Tennessee, for treatment.
Below are some pictures and scans of the call logs from the rescue.
Captain Buddy Lane, CHCRS
blane@chcrs.org
www.chcrs.org
www.caverescue.org
Rigging at the Ladder Drop
Rigging in
Working the belay
Patient, Robert Richards climbing the Ladder Drop
Rigging in progress
| CAVE RESCUE LOG - BLUE SPRINGS CAVE 4/27/01 | |
| TIME | LOG |
| 11:00 | 5 PEOPLE ENTER CAVE INCLUDING VICTIM ROBERT RICHARDS |
| 13:00 | INJURY OCCURRED |
| 16:37 | PUTNAM COUNTY RESCUE REQUESTED BY WHITE COUNTY |
| 17:00 | ARRIVED AT SCENE |
| 17:15 | NOTIFIED TEMA TO ACTIVATE CHATTANOOGA AND NASHVILLE CAVE TEAMS |
| 17:30 | REQUESTED MEDICAL ORDERS FROM MEDICAL DIRECTOR-SULLY SMITH |
| 17:35 | ORDERS GRANTED TO TREAT AS NECESSARY WITH TORODOL, MOROPHINE OR DEMORAL |
| 18:00 | BRIEFED PARAMEDIC ALLEN BOWMAN AND EMT EDYE HAYNES ON DETAILS OF CAVE AND PATIENT |
| 18:20 | EDYE HAYNES AND ALLEN BOWMAN ENTERED CAVE AS MEDICAL TEAM TO REACH PATIENT |
| 18:20 | BILL WALTER ORIGINAL TOUR GUIDE ENTERED CAVE WITH MEDICAL TEAM AS GUIDE |
| 18:20 | STAN HAWKINS AND BILLY VAUGHN (WHITE COUNTY) ENTERED CAVE AS COMMUNICATIONS TEAM TO DROP PHONE CABLE |
| 18:50 | TREY HASSLER BRIEFED AND ENTERED CAVE TO ASSESS CAVE FOR RIGGING |
| 18:50 | COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ADVISED RAN OUT OF CABLE, NEED AN ADDITIONAL 1500 FEET |
| 18:52 | PARAMEDIC DAVID HAMLET BRIEFED AND ENTERED CAVE TO ASSIST MEDICAL TEAM |
| 19:00 | BILLY VAUGHN OUT OF CAVE TO GET MORE PHONE CABLE |
| 19:07 | BILLY VAUGHN BACK IN CAVE WITH 2,000 FEET OF PHONE CABLE |
| 19:10 | STAN HAWKINS OUT OF CAVE, HE WAS ONE OF ORIGINAL PEOPLE IN CAVE AT 11:00AM |
| 19:25 | HASSLER PHONED BACK, WILL NEED TO RIG AT LADDER LOCATION |
| 19:35 | HAYNES PHONED, PATIENT RECEIVING PAIN MEDS, SEEMED STABLE |
| 19:35 | BRIEFED CHATTANOOGA TEAM LEADERS |
| 19:55 | PARAMEDIC JIM KNIGHT IN CAVE WITH SKID STRETCHER AND XP-1 |
| 19:55 | HAYNES OUT OF CAVE, BRIEFED CHATTANOOGA TEAM ON CAVE |
| 20:00 | CHARLIE TOLLISON OUT OF CAVE, ONE OF ORIGINAL PEOPLE IN CAVE AT 11:00AM |
| 20:15 | HAYNES AND TONY PUGH BACK IN CAVE |
| 20:20 | RUTHERFORD COUNTY ARRIVED AND BRIEFED |
| 20:32 | PARAMEDIC BOWMAN PHONED, 90MG OF TORODOL GIVEN, NO RELIEF |
| 20:32 | DR. JONES ORDERED 5MG OF MOROPHINE AND 4 MG OF ZOFRAN WITH 5MG MORE OF MOROPHINE IF NEEDED |
| 20:40 | STATE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ENTERED CAVE |
| 20:45 | STATE RIGGING TEAM #2 ENTERED CAVE |
| 20:46 | STATE MEDICAL TEAM ENTERED CAVE |
| 20:47 | PUTNAM MEDICAL TEAM ADVISED PT'S SHOULDER REDUCED AND WALKING PATIENT OUT, PATIENT STABLE AND PAIN FREE |
| 20:55 | PATIENT MOVED ABOUT 75 FEET, DOING WELL |
| 20:58 | JODY LANDRUM ENTERED CAVE TO HELP RIGGING TEAM |
| 21:00 | DENNIS CURRY IN CAVE |
| 21:05 | TIM WHITE IN CAVE-GOING TO RIGGING TEAM #1 |
| 21:25 | NEED SKID FOR BACKUP |
| 21:29 | CANCEL SKID |
| 21:33 | CANCEL HUNTSVILLE AND KNOXVILLE PER DENNIS CURRY |
| 21:38 | PATIENT UPDATE-AT TRAVERSE, STABLE, WALKING ON HIS OWN PER CURRY |
| 21:42 | BILLY VAUGHN OUT OF CAVE |
| 21:46 | PATIENT AT LADDER, RESTING, ALREADY PAST TRAVERSE, DOING WELL |
| 22:09 | GLEN SUSSKIND, CHRIS GREEN, ALAN PADGETT, JOSH CARPENTER, JASON MITCHELL IN CAVE |
| 22:12 | AT 1ST CRAWL SPACE, PATIENT DOING GOOD |
| 22:14 | 31 IN CAVE CURRENTLY, DR. JONES WITH PATIENT, DOING WELL, ESTIMATED 30 MINUTES OUT |
| 22:17 | DAVID HAMLET OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:25 | IN CRAWL SPACE, STILL DOING WELL |
| 22:30 | DEBERRY, KNIGHT, HAYNES, HASSLER AND BOWMAN OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:36 | PATIENT OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:38 | CREVIS, RICHARDS, JONES, PUGH, DOCKERY, TONEY PUGH, WALTER OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:44 | SZUKALASKI OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:45 | MEYER OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:47 | LOVE, TAMARA AND TREY CAPLENOR OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:55 | SEGREST OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:05 | CARPENTER OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:10 | SUSSKIND, WHITE, PERLAKY, FALINSKI, CARTAYA, KREBS, JENKINS, GREEN, MITCHELL OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:15 | WENDY TIPTON OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:16 | BOYDSTON OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:17 | BRAD TIPTON OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:22 | HICKMAN, CURRY, HARDIN, PADGETT OUT OF CAVE |
| 22:25 | ALL PERSONNEL OUT OF CAVE--ASSIGNMENT FINISHED |
Below is the story as printed in the Sunday, 29th of April 2001, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Page B7
