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Two climbers fall
By Phil Thompson
Operation leader
RMRU was called out about 3:30 in
the afternoon with a report that there had been a
major rock climbing accident on Tahquitz rock
with one climber dead, one injured and one hung
up in their ropes. RMRU got on the location as
soon as possible at Humber Park. A CHP fixed wing
plane was already contacting climbers on the rock
with their loud speakers trying to find the
subjects of the accident, All dozen or so other
climbers on the rock gave the ok sign to the CHP
fixed wing. A hasty team was sent to the base of
the rock with medical equipment and tech gear to
try to locate the subjects. Hasty team #1 went to
the right of the rock and started searching to
the north around the base of the rock. The CHP
plane spotted a climber that was not moving or
responding to their hails and was able to guild
the hasty team to him. When the hasty team got to
the first subject and did a quick medical
assessment it was quickly determined that the
first subject was dead. The hasty team then
started to search for the next subject. The
second subject was found about 100 FT above the
first and it was quickly determined that he was
also dead. Shortly after getting to the second
subject team # 2 arrived to assist team #1. A CHP
helicopter was in route to assist us with the
extraction of the two subjects by using a three
hundred-foot long line, as there was no access to
land. As the six rescue workers worked to get the
subjects prepared for the extraction the
helicopter worked as fast as possible to get the
helicopter ready to go in. It was getting late in
the day and we were running out of daylight fast.
No day light no helicopter.
With great
difficulty because of the very steep terrain the
ground team was able to get one subject into the
cargo net and the helicopter pulled him out just
as we lost the day light. There would be no
chance to extract the second subject by
helicopter, he would have to be carried out by
hand down the steep and rocky terrain. The rescue
workers started the carry out at 9 PM and got to
base camp at midnight.
Based on other climbers
reports of the accident RMRU was able to put
together what happened to the subjects. While
climbing in the morning Kwan Kam, 59, of Glendale
and Kevin Dahn, 49, of Northridge had a accident
with one of them getting a broken leg. The
uninjured climber was in the process of lowering
the other down to the base of the rock when he
ran out of rope. He then started down climbing
without any protection whatsoever, even though he
must have had at least $1000 of tech gear on his
rack. He then lost his footing and fell therefore
pulling his friend to his death as well.
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