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Any idea what happened at Jtree accident today?

Original Post
Breezybri08 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 0

From the too of intersection rock in jtree today, we could see two helicopters land near what appeared to be Hemingway buttress. As we were leavin the park around 5pm, the two helicopters were still there along with an ambulance, 2 fire trucks and tons of rangers. Was wondering if anyone knew what happened/the condition of people involved. It looked pretty serious, given the magnitude of the response.

Rob Selter · · running springs Ca · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 125

I found this link, hope she has a quick recovery!
supertopo.com/climbers-foru…

RustyLane · · Minneapolis · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 55

Does anyone know where the women is from?

Guy Keesee · · Moorpark, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 349

must stay "on route" ......

Hope she heals up.

david doucette · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 25

i was on the scene soon after the fall had happened. someone notified the ranger of an injured climber but that was it. the ranger had no info and didn't even know if the climber was conscious.

we just got back from playhouse and the ranger was in his jeep in the hemingway parking lot on his loudspeaker trying to get more info from anyone on the wall. i went over to the ranger to find out what was going on and since info was sparse, i offered to run out and find out the condition, so that is what i did.

one of the climbers was able to climb up to the injured climber. they were 3/4 up white lighting, just before the route goes left. we were unable to lower her because of the sustained injuries and possible spinal chord injury. she was secured and in a seated position.

so i went back to ranger to let him know the condition and that we weren't going to be able to lower her without a litter. that is when he notified SAR.

i made a couple of trips back and forth and when SAR finally showed up, i led one of the guys right to the climber and two others went around back to get to the top.

once SAR arrived, they escaped the belay for the boyfriend while another member ascended to the injured climber. the litter was prepared and sent up.

the members on top of the wall lowered down a neck brace. it took them at least an hour to get her in the litter as it was just about dark by then. i'm sure it was a difficult task.

two helicopters came and they were actually talking about landing on top, which i knew there wasn't room for that. they put down on the flat ground and waited.

if anyone hears from the party, please let me know. i know one of the guys name is clay (he was the one up on the wall that i was talking to). i didn't catch the boyfriend's name but he thanked me before we left. i'd like to touch base with them.

there were about a dozen or so climbers around so i was surprised nobody had run out to the ranger beforehand.

i thought a lot about the sequence of events of that day from when i arrived on scene. here's what i could have done better in anticipation of SAR arrival.

1. help the boyfriend escape the belay. even though the injured climber was secured, he kept her on belay from the ground. he was like that for 1.5 hours or so. (i took a rescue class in november, but honestly couldn't recall the exact details.). since getting home, i've brushed on my escaping belay.

2. instruct one of the climbers up top (i recall seeing at least one) to setup a fixed line which would allow SAR to ascend to the top without having the arduous task of scrambling around the backside.

3. have the climber who was with the injured climber set a fixed line there so when SAR arrived, they could quickly ascend to her. the climber already had a two point anchor, but i could have instructed them to make a 3 point anchor for the fixed line. that was basically what SAR did.

although the hemingway wall is a quick jog from the parking lot, it probably took SAR 1.5 hours before they actually got to the wall. in that time, injured climber was in the shade and getting cold. additional clothing was sent up to her prior to SARs arrival.

had I done the three items above, it would have saved some time and probably saved the injured climber from being lowered down in the dark.

all in all, it was a safe rescue and seeing one take place cements in my mind the stuff i learned in the rescue class in november.

prayers for the injured climber and her boyfriend.

david doucette · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 25

someone just posted this over at supertopo. sounds like no serious injury, that's great news.

Joshua Tree News Release
Release Date: January 2, 2014
Contact: Jennie Kish Albrinck, 760-367-5520/928-638-0520 or Lorna Shuman 760-367-5521

Climber Falls at Hemingway in Joshua Tree National Park

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Twentynine Palms, CA – On January 1, 2014, Kennya Pimentel, 20 of Las Vegas, Nevada fell while climbing at the Hemingway Buttress area of Joshua Tree National Park. Ms Pimentel fell about six feet and became wedged in a crevice approximately 100 feet above the ground. She was not wearing a safety helmet and initially complained of both head and hip injuries. National Park Service Rangers from Joshua Tree National Park, volunteers from the Joshua Tree Search and Rescue (JOSAR) team, and Sheriffs Officers and helicopters from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office responded to the rescue. JOSAR team members used a high angle rescue system to extract Ms. Pimentel from the crevice, and safely lower her to the ground. All precautions were taken to stabilize her during the evacuation. She was then airlifted to Desert Regional Hospital and released this morning. Fortunately she sustained no serious injury. The rescue took about five hours.

This incident was one of many search and rescue emergencies that occurred at Joshua Tree National Park over this past week. On Monday and Tuesday, there were other incidents that resulted in minor injuries including a twisted ankle. National Park Service Rangers also initiated a search for an overdue hiker who lost the trail when the sun set in the Black Rock Canyon area late New Year’s Day.

The Joshua Tree National Park staff reminds all visitors to please be careful when hiking and climbing in the park. Be aware of your
surroundings, wear protective helmets and gear when climbing, always carry a flashlight or headlamp, and be aware of sunset times so you do not get caught on a trail in the dark.

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330
david doucette wrote:i was on the scene soon after the fall had happened. someone notified the ranger of an injured climber but that was it. the ranger had no info and didn't even know if the climber was conscious. we just got back from playhouse and the ranger was in his jeep in the hemingway parking lot on his loudspeaker trying to get more info from anyone on the wall. i went over to the ranger to find out what was going on and since info was sparse, i offered to run out and find out the condition, so that is what i did. one of the climbers was able to climb up to the injured climber. they were 3/4 up white lighting, just before the route goes left. we were unable to lower her because of the sustained injuries and possible spinal chord injury. she was secured and in a seated position. so i went back to ranger to let him know the condition and that we weren't going to be able to lower her without a litter. that is when he notified SAR. i made a couple of trips back and forth and when SAR finally showed up, i led one of the guys right to the climber and two others went around back to get to the top. once SAR arrived, they escaped the belay for the boyfriend while another member ascended to the injured climber. the litter was prepared and sent up. the members on top of the wall lowered down a neck brace. it took them at least an hour to get her in the litter as it was just about dark by then. i'm sure it was a difficult task. two helicopters came and they were actually talking about landing on top, which i knew there wasn't room for that. they put down on the flat ground and waited. if anyone hears from the party, please let me know. i know one of the guys name is clay (he was the one up on the wall that i was talking to). i didn't catch the boyfriend's name but he thanked me before we left. i'd like to touch base with them. there were about a dozen or so climbers around so i was surprised nobody had run out to the ranger beforehand. i thought a lot about the sequence of events of that day from when i arrived on scene. here's what i could have done better in anticipation of SAR arrival. 1. help the boyfriend escape the belay. even though the injured climber was secured, he kept her on belay from the ground. he was like that for 1.5 hours or so. (i took a rescue class in november, but honestly couldn't recall the exact details.). since getting home, i've brushed on my escaping belay. 2. instruct one of the climbers up top (i recall seeing at least one) to setup a fixed line which would allow SAR to ascend to the top without having the arduous task of scrambling around the backside. 3. have the climber who was with the injured climber set a fixed line there so when SAR arrived, they could quickly ascend to her. the climber already had a two point anchor, but i could have instructed them to make a 3 point anchor for the fixed line. that was basically what SAR did. although the hemingway wall is a quick jog from the parking lot, it probably took SAR 1.5 hours before they actually got to the wall. in that time, injured climber was in the shade and getting cold. additional clothing was sent up to her prior to SARs arrival. had I done the three items above, it would have saved some time and probably saved the injured climber from being lowered down in the dark. all in all, it was a safe rescue and seeing one take place cements in my mind the stuff i learned in the rescue class in november. prayers for the injured climber and her boyfriend.
I seriously doubt that any SAR crew would use fixed ropes already put in place by climbers on the scene. I could be wrong, but I just don't see them trusting ones rigged by other people. Of course, such fixed lines would be useful for the climbers on scene to attend to the victim before SAR got there regardless.
david doucette · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 25
csproul wrote: I seriously doubt that any SAR crew would use fixed ropes already put in place by climbers on the scene. I could be wrong, but I just don't see them trusting ones rigged by other people. Of course, such fixed lines would be useful for the climbers on scene to attend to the victim before SAR got there regardless.
they did just that when they arrived. the only thing they instructed the other climber to do was put in a third piece. they ascended the climber's line on the climber's anchor, not one SAR put up.

i don't see a problem with it. you just explain to them your setup.
csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330
david doucette wrote: they did just that when they arrived. the only thing they instructed the other climber to do was put in a third piece. they ascended the climber's line on the climber's anchor, not one SAR put up. i don't see a problem with it. you just explain to them your setup.
Interesting. I'm surprised. Most SAR units I've encountered seem to be pretty conservative. I'd have thought they'd be wary of jugging on a setup/gear that they were unable to inspect. I'd be nervous jugging on someone else's line if I had no way to assess either the climber's ability to construct adequate anchors or inspect the anchor itself.
bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065

A kleimheist with a mariners hitch to a ground anchor will allow the belayer to escape

Or to tranfer the load to someone else under TENSION

This is quite an important skill even if one is TRing IMO ... As if you are supervising a group you might need to transfer the load offf a newer belayer

Bill Lawry · · Albuquerque, NM · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 1,812

^^^^^
Escape ... Transfer a load ... It is unfortunate that the accident happened ... and an important reminder that these kinds of rescue skills aren't just for multi-pitch.

Thanks to UF for the summary of the post accident effort. I was wondering why the leader wasn't just lowered. And the thoughts about making things flow more smoothly are good. Very helpful of you to relay between the climbers and the ranger.

Sean Stoops · · Henderson, NV · Joined Sep 2012 · Points: 75

Howdy all! I was a member of the incident party and posted a first-hand account over on the supertopo page. I will copy it here for simplicity.

===========

Thanks all for the well-wishings! Kennya is doing great with only some very deep bruising. Nothing broken. No concussion.

I was a member of Kennya's party and would like to give a brief rundown of the day:

She was leading white lightning with Kyle (boyfriend) on belay. She reached the small alcove area near the top and attempted the final crack. Unfortunately, she was ascending the wrong crack (I think a 5.9+ vs 5.7+ ?). Her first attempt she struggled (we heard a bit of grunting) and she downclimbed a couple feet back to the ledge. She was not visible to us while in the alcove area. She worked a bit here on placing higher protection but could not locate any placements. She gave it one last go, climbing high enough we could see her again. She held there for a moment, seeming secure, before yelling that she was downclimbing and would lower off. I watched her begin moving down before slipping off completely and swinging over to the right a bit to land primarily on her right hip then flipping nearly upside down and hitting the back of her head. At this point, everyone at the base yelled "rock!" as somehow her belay device + biner came off her harness and was falling. At this point she was making a lot of noise and yelled "lower! lower!". Kyle lowered her a bit so she should right herself and tuck into the crack just below the alcove area.

She was visibly conscious but appeared dazed. We yelled up to her to ask if she was okay but received no response. Two Swedish girls on top did the same, no response. We determined then that we would pull out a second rope and send Clay up on her protection. She stayed put while he climbed to her. After Clay reached her, he began assessing her by touching limbs for sensation. He said when he touched her right calf she shrieked from a sharp pain in her back. We decided to call SAR at this point.

By now, a girl (short hair, green jacket) had come over to see if we needed anything. We gave her all the conditions we knew and she ran to the road with one other guy (dark hair, black shirt) to somehow alert SAR. We tried all phones but no luck. Green jacket girl came back saying she had sent people in both directions to fetch rangers and call SAR. I had hoped the message made it to the ranger that we 100% needed SAR. So when the one ranger arrived in the parking lot and asked us over loud speaker for a patient update, we weren't sure what to do (as we'd hoped SAR had been called immediately). This is when David (the guy who gave the very long explanation above) came to us and asked our situation. We gave him the rundown of Kennya's condition (mostly unchanged at this point with the addition of some mild nausea) and he headed back to the parking lot.

Kyle and I were both holding on belay comfortably and refrained from doing anything with Kennya's line as to not jostle her. Everyone around us was extremely helpful while we awaited SAR offering food, water, jackets, etc. Clay built an anchor and tied in so we could use his line to send up jackets and gloves for Kennya while we waited.

Once SAR arrived in the parking lot but had yet to come to the wall, David told us they were determining how to get her off the wall (helicopter or lower). This processes seemed to take quite a while before SAR ever started approaching us (20+ minutes). Once SAR arrived, they wanted to ascend Clay's fixed line but first requested that he add a third piece of gear to his anchor. They went back and forth a moment as Clay didn't have any additional protection before he remembered Kennya still had a partial rack on her harness and added a piece to the anchor.

A team of I believe two SAR members headed to the top, one guy ascended the fixed line from the bottom, and several others remained at the base of the climb to setup belay anchors and get the litter ready to send up. They helped Kyle escape the belay with as little movement as possible and the two of us remained at the base of the wall.

The rest of the story is pretty straight forward. They got the haul system setup, lowered Kennya, wheeled her to the helicopter and took her to Palm Springs. We met her there and received the great news that nothing was broken nor was she concussed, only badly bruised!

Our endless gratitude goes to everyone who helped us through this process - the runners to the parking lot, the people who gave us jackets (sorry about the one that got chopped up in the hospital!), SAR, the rangers - everyone!

As to why there was *such* a big SAR response to our call, I'm not entirely sure. Like someone mentioned before, two helicopters, multiple firetrucks, ambulance, several rangers and a crew of probably 20+ people running around.

Feel free to ask further questions about the incident. In telling this, I hope we can all learn a bit more in case we ever have to be in this situation again.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

Thanks for filling us in, Sean.

Optimistic · · New Paltz · Joined Aug 2007 · Points: 450
Sean Stoops wrote:Howdy all! I was a member of the incident party and posted a first-hand account over on the supertopo page. I will copy it here for simplicity. =========== Thanks all for the well-wishings! Kennya is doing great with only some very deep bruising. Nothing broken. No concussion. I was a member of Kennya's party and would like to give a brief rundown of the day: She was leading white lightning with Kyle (boyfriend) on belay. She reached the small alcove area near the top and attempted the final crack. Unfortunately, she was ascending the wrong crack (I think a 5.9+ vs 5.7+ ?). Her first attempt she struggled (we heard a bit of grunting) and she downclimbed a couple feet back to the ledge. She was not visible to us while in the alcove area. She worked a bit here on placing higher protection but could not locate any placements. She gave it one last go, climbing high enough we could see her again. She held there for a moment, seeming secure, before yelling that she was downclimbing and would lower off. I watched her begin moving down before slipping off completely and swinging over to the right a bit to land primarily on her right hip then flipping nearly upside down and hitting the back of her head. At this point, everyone at the base yelled "rock!" as somehow her belay device + biner came off her harness and was falling. At this point she was making a lot of noise and yelled "lower! lower!". Kyle lowered her a bit so she should right herself and tuck into the crack just below the alcove area. She was visibly conscious but appeared dazed. We yelled up to her to ask if she was okay but received no response. Two Swedish girls on top did the same, no response. We determined then that we would pull out a second rope and send Clay up on her protection. She stayed put while he climbed to her. After Clay reached her, he began assessing her by touching limbs for sensation. He said when he touched her right calf she shrieked from a sharp pain in her back. We decided to call SAR at this point. By now, a girl (short hair, green jacket) had come over to see if we needed anything. We gave her all the conditions we knew and she ran to the road with one other guy (dark hair, black shirt) to somehow alert SAR. We tried all phones but no luck. Green jacket girl came back saying she had sent people in both directions to fetch rangers and call SAR. I had hoped the message made it to the ranger that we 100% needed SAR. So when the one ranger arrived in the parking lot and asked us over loud speaker for a patient update, we weren't sure what to do (as we'd hoped SAR had been called immediately). This is when David (the guy who gave the very long explanation above) came to us and asked our situation. We gave him the rundown of Kennya's condition (mostly unchanged at this point with the addition of some mild nausea) and he headed back to the parking lot. Kyle and I were both holding on belay comfortably and refrained from doing anything with Kennya's line as to not jostle her. Everyone around us was extremely helpful while we awaited SAR offering food, water, jackets, etc. Clay built an anchor and tied in so we could use his line to send up jackets and gloves for Kennya while we waited. Once SAR arrived in the parking lot but had yet to come to the wall, David told us they were determining how to get her off the wall (helicopter or lower). This processes seemed to take quite a while before SAR ever started approaching us (20+ minutes). Once SAR arrived, they wanted to ascend Clay's fixed line but first requested that he add a third piece of gear to his anchor. They went back and forth a moment as Clay didn't have any additional protection before he remembered Kennya still had a partial rack on her harness and added a piece to the anchor. A team of I believe two SAR members headed to the top, one guy ascended the fixed line from the bottom, and several others remained at the base of the climb to setup belay anchors and get the litter ready to send up. They helped Kyle escape the belay with as little movement as possible and the two of us remained at the base of the wall. The rest of the story is pretty straight forward. They got the haul system setup, lowered Kennya, wheeled her to the helicopter and took her to Palm Springs. We met her there and received the great news that nothing was broken nor was she concussed, only badly bruised! Our endless gratitude goes to everyone who helped us through this process - the runners to the parking lot, the people who gave us jackets (sorry about the one that got chopped up in the hospital!), SAR, the rangers - everyone! As to why there was *such* a big SAR response to our call, I'm not entirely sure. Like someone mentioned before, two helicopters, multiple firetrucks, ambulance, several rangers and a crew of probably 20+ people running around. Feel free to ask further questions about the incident. In telling this, I hope we can all learn a bit more in case we ever have to be in this situation again.
Thanks for the update Sean, glad your partner is ok. If it feels right to do so at some later point, I'd bet the community here would be interested to hear your (and your partner's) firsthand thoughts on what you'd do differently next time just as David D did upthread. This seems like a great way to help us all be safer out there in the future.
Guy Keesee · · Moorpark, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 349
Feel free to ask further questions about the incident. In telling this, I hope we can all learn a bit more in case we ever have to be in this situation again.

Sean.... good to know the climber will be/ is OK.....

a few Q's for you.... why did she go off route??

was the rope behind her leg when climbing?

Sounds like she was having problems figuring out the "move" did she try to downclimb back to the pro????

What would you folks have done if you were, unable to send for help?

just wondering, and you offered.
corpse · · jtree area · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 5

My very last lead climb in jtree was White Lightning, and I went off route at the same spot as well.. Why? Looking at the guide book, 2 routes meet at that alcove, and for whatever reason, when i was up in that alcove, it seemed like I should finish the route to the right instead of the left - and that is the adjacent 5.9 route. It took probably 30 minutes for me to commit to the moves - which I did after building a mini anchor to secure the crux.

Guy Keesee · · Moorpark, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 349

Corpse...... which Guide Book were you using???

There are many.

BrettAtBond · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 0

I was there. She was on route. She fell due to rope drag. She tried to pull through the somewhat insecure low angle crack above the pod 75% of the way up the climb and essentially decked in the pod hitting her hip then head. She was showing signs of concussion at the time including brief confusion, unresponsiveness and evenutally dry heaving.

corpse · · jtree area · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 5
Guy Keesee wrote:Corpse...... which Guide Book were you using??? There are many.
"rock climbing joshua tree" by falcon (vogel) - second edition.
Bolting Karen · · La Sal, UT · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 56

My name is Clay and I was the climber with Kenya at the short anchor on route. First I would like to thank everybody for participating and helping in any way that they could with the rescue. Dave Doucette was immensely helpful in the operation and I am very thankful to you for what you did. We experienced some confusion during the operation as is expected. I with out a doubt should have grabbed the rest of my rack before ever leaving the ground in order to build a better anchor. I grabbed what was on the ground in haste and headed up the wall. When I got to Kenya I briefly stopped at her point to let her know I was there and what I was doing.
I re-enforced her last piece with two others then came back down to her. With the help of two women above me I established a better anchor. Kenya had difficulty hearing and a welt on her head(no blood) was already forming. I put my helmet on her and started to check her starting at the toes. When I squeezed her right lower leg she got a shooting pain in her lower back. At that point I let the people below that I suspected a spinal injury (I don't know if this was the right call) and that we should get a stretcher and c-spine before moving her.
My initial plan was to build an anchor clip her to me direct and then lower on the two lines together. After suspecting the spinal injury I thought it was best to involve some professional help. We did not fix my rope because I had no other gear or slings and was under the impression that the team would be lowering down to me from above. I was told that SAR had everything they needed and not to worry about fixing the line. When SAR got there we decided that fixing the rope was the best option and I found the gear that Kenya had left on her harness (that I should have found in the first place) fixed a new anchor (again) and from there it was SAR's show. They did an excellent job responding in haste and finding an efficient and safe way to get Kenya down. Thank you again to everybody who was involved.

I should have: Grabbed the rest of my gear before leaving.

Had Kyle escape the belay when I got up and put Kenya
in direct.

Had a better medical base knowledge.

Better communicated to the ground what was going on on
our end.

Bolting Karen · · La Sal, UT · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 56
Guy Keesee wrote:Feel free to ask further questions about the incident. In telling this, I hope we can all learn a bit more in case we ever have to be in this situation again. Sean.... good to know the climber will be/ is OK..... a few Q's for you.... why did she go off route?? was the rope behind her leg when climbing? Sounds like she was having problems figuring out the "move" did she try to downclimb back to the pro???? What would you folks have done if you were, unable to send for help? just wondering, and you offered.
She was not off route when she fell, she had not extended some pieces and was dealing with rope drag.

She was trying to downclimb back to her pro when she fell.

The rope was not behind her leg, she fell backwards into the alcove

In retrospect if we could not have gotten help I believe I would have went in with the first plan of lowering her in tandem with me then using the packs to build a stretcher.

This is, of course, my opinion solely and welcome any information on possible better scenarios.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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