Fallen climber injured head and ankle
By Ray Hussey,
M.D.
It was a hot
July day. A soft breeze made our day at the top
of Tahquitz Rock a bit more comfortable as we
practiced high angle rescue techniques of
stretcher and attendant raisings and lowerings,
SEA (Self-Equalizing Anchors) placement and
five-hundred foot rappels.
At
approximately 4:30 p.m. we received a call from
the Sheriff's Department regarding a fallen
climber at the base of Tahquitz Rock. Most of the
team had already "rapped" off and were
at ground level. A hasty team was sent up with
minimal gear to appraise the situation. They
found a 23 year old male hiker, who had slipped
from a scenic view point falling approximately 12
feet, with a fractured ankle and head injury,
with 10-15 seconds loss of consciousness. The man
was in stable condition.
The main team then transported the
Stokes stretcher with wheel, medical gear with IV
fluids, a 150 ft. rope and lowering gear. The
subject was found to be moderately dehydrated and
consensus medical opinion was that considering
the length of evacuation time and the possibility
of head injury and ankle fracture, needing open
reduction oral fluids were contraindicated. 1000
cc's of Ringers lactate IV solution were given to
the subject while he was insulated, strapped
carefully in the Stokes litter, head
immobilization performed and a cervical collar
secured.
RMRU members
formed three teams - a belay team and 2 stretcher
bearer teams, which traded off at timed intervals
for the long talus-ridden evacuation route down
to Humber Park. Despite the rough terrain the
subject received a relatively smooth evacuation
due primarily to good handling and Bernie
McIlvoy's "big wheel" which we believe
is the best stretcher wheel we have seen to date.
The subject
was helicoptered to Loma Linda University Medical
Center for definitive care and was in stable
condition undergoing diagnostic test when we last
called at 9:00 p.m.
On this
mission RMRU had the luxury of valuable
assistance from associate and former RMRU team
members, as this was the day of our annual dinner
reunion at Dr. Mellor's Sky Yacht mountain home
located very near Humber Park.
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