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spydermonkey
Aug 4, 2002, 1:37 AM
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I'd like to hear some stories of climbers and their first aid skills in use, and how you saved a life or helped rescue someone.
spydermonkey
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collegekid
Aug 4, 2002, 1:45 AM
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one time, this guy fell from like 30 feet on the rock above me...thanks to my quick belaying action, he only fell a few inches and lived to climb another day
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clymber
Aug 4, 2002, 2:06 AM
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I have saved alot of lives and also had alot die in my hands but thats from the EMS i do...As for the climbing part I was on one climb and a friend of mine was on another...He decked from about 30and as hit put it'screwed up his foot real bad ..I checked him over and stabilized his leg/foot as best I could using the stays from my pack. Left him there with my belays and the other one ran back to my truck about 2 miles away jumped in it and proceeded to turn a bunch of quad/ATV trails into Jeep trails..Needless to say after 2 miles of knocking over shrubs and small trees with my Jeep it was pretty tore up...We then drove the 2 miles out again and the appox 30 miles to the closest hospital to find out he broke his heel...If it were not for me being out there with some knowledge things could have ended worse...I dont picture his 105 lds gf carring him out...His cast is finally off and he is back to climbing may only be upto 9s now but in time he will be pulling the 11 and 12s like old times
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fiend
Aug 4, 2002, 2:42 AM
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I've saved a life or two by stopping people from doing stupid things (while climbing, and one time rapping) before they happened, but never actually had to deal with a first aid situation.
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wallhammer
Aug 4, 2002, 4:24 AM
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not sure if was "a life" or major damage, but i was climbing with a first time partner and he was off belay cleaning the top rope anchor when he slipped and fell and started bouncing down past me. believe it or not i grabbed his back shirt collar as he was going by and kept his head from smacking rock. we both slid down about fifteen feet before stopping on a fourth class ledge over another drop off. helped him down to the trailhead and went for ice to keep the swelling down. no bones broken but too sore to climb for a week or so.
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jmlangford
Aug 4, 2002, 4:51 AM
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collegekid...
I have definitely seen die more than I've saved in my line of work. However, one particular instance my partner and I were at a crash and a guy had a severed brachial artery and had been laying there for 40 minutes before we got there. My partner held his finger in the hole and kept blood from coming out and I got a B/P as low as 55/30. Dude should have been dead! Dude lived though thanks to being airlifted to UNLV Med Center and getting great treatment there.
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maskokalover
Aug 4, 2002, 8:16 PM
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I work as a lifeguard at the local YMCA, so i have had to jump in the water and rescue alot of people who coudnt swim, but still thought it fun if they jumped off the diving board. But, alot of the s--- i do is PR (public relations), putting band-aids on cuts and s--- like that. Never had anything major, but on my way to work, jsut outside actually, there was this car accdent, it was pretty bad and i had to help one of the guyes to breathe, but about 1 min after i got there and started to help the guy the ambulance came, and i was allready late for work, so i got outaa there before i got questioned...
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old_school
Aug 4, 2002, 8:34 PM
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I don't think I've ever really saved a life, mabey prevented an accident or two somewhere. But whenever I'm out doing something I'll always ask injured people, even if it's just a scrape, if they need medical attention. In the future I hope to join a SAR group and do this regularly.
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spydermonkey
Aug 4, 2002, 9:22 PM
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Thanks for replying all. I'm very interested in all your experiences. I am planning on joining a SAR unit here in the Phoenix, AZ area. Continue to reply with other stories from your own experience or others.
Thanks again
spydermonkey
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jimmyleg66
Aug 6, 2002, 3:48 PM
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Last March, my buddy got caught in an avalanche. Almost a complete burial, with just part of his face out of the snow. However, it swept him through a stand of trees. His injuries included:
-broke all six major leg bones - femur and tib/fib
-dislocated right shoulder
-fractured skull
-broken nose
The rescue took four hours in -10 deg Celcius temps and by the time we got him back to the cabin he was hypothermic and had frostbite on his feet. Spent the next 5 hours rewarming him and splinting his many injuries. He made it but its just getting out of the wheelchair now and has a long recovery ahead.
I'm a volunteer ski patroller and a local SAR member. Can't say if any of the training I've had made a difference in the outcome, but it really helped me keep a level head.
[ This Message was edited by: jimmyleg66 on 2002-08-06 08:50 ]
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spydermonkey
Aug 6, 2002, 4:54 PM
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I would disagree. I'm an Eagle Scout, and I live by the BSA motto, "BE PREPARED." I believe that talking about what has happened to others in situations can help others when they encounter a situation of their own.
"It kept me level headed."
If one has a problem reading about this subject don't read it then. It is that simple.
Death isn't a pritty subject and that is why I ask, "Have you ever SAVED a life?" I continuly want to hear about others experiences dealing with this subject. Thank you to all that have replied.
spydermonkey
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wildtrail
Aug 6, 2002, 5:24 PM
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It wasn't a climber I used it on. It was a small child that was hit by a car. I'm not so sure I "saved" his life, but he was bleading badly and got control of that, covered him to keep him warm in the event of shock, and calmed him down from crying for ten minutes until Paramedics arrived on the scene.
Steve
[ This Message was edited by: wildtrail on 2002-08-06 10:25 ]
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spydermonkey
Aug 6, 2002, 6:21 PM
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If you'd read before replying, I want to hear stories of heroics, NOT "gore." I've saved a couple peoples lives before and TRUST me, I don't enjoy "GORE." If your so displeased or with the forum than post some where else, it is that simple. I don't like getting in arguements with people,especially those I don't even know. This is a rock climbing site where topics can be brought to light and discussed in a professional fassion. There is no sense in forum bashing.
"spyder"
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climbracer
Aug 6, 2002, 6:40 PM
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What's your problem Gawd???
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spydermonkey
Aug 6, 2002, 6:44 PM
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Thank you.
spydermonkey
We don't need people flaming others on this site. If you want to do that then go to www.bouldering.com and fight with someone there. It is not needed here.
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spydermonkey
Aug 6, 2002, 7:07 PM
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Sorry about all that was said. It is a little frustrating to have someone question a question. I'm taking EMT classes and I know what you mean by miss information on many post.
spydermonkey
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mcsosar3456
Aug 6, 2002, 11:19 PM
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my most recent sar response was for a suicidal girl who tried to od on sleeping pills. the local pd found her car and figured she was somewhere up on the mountain, so they called us out. we found the sleeping pill packages as well as articles of clothing and other clues. eventually a dog team located the girl very very sick but alive.
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beyond_gravity
Aug 6, 2002, 11:40 PM
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how come the people that save lifes get so much credit, but the people who prevent acidents in the first place dont get anything?
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spydermonkey
Aug 7, 2002, 3:36 AM
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I don't think it matters who gets the credit as long as lives are being saved.
spydermonkey
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rrrADAM
Aug 15, 2002, 7:49 AM
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Nope... Did CPR on a solid 5.12 climber at the Gunks who fell 80'. He did not survive.
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medic3
Aug 15, 2002, 1:47 PM
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if you fall 80' and are in cardiac arrest, guess what? your dead ...
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tim
Aug 15, 2002, 1:56 PM
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oy, bummer about the Gunks.
So far my 'rescue' involvement has been limited to a broken ankle carry-out at Consumnes River Gorge (little crag near Sacramento) and a Stokes litter lowering off the Mountaineer's Route on Whitney. In the latter case, the guy had attempted to glissade with crampons on, and unsurprisingly, had well and truly jacked his tibias up. Not walking out he was, as Yoda would say. (We even tried to dodge the rescue -- he was yelling in Spanish, we said "hi! nice to see you!" and made camp, he didn't stop yelling, we groaned and got the litter that is stowed at Iceberg Lake)
No splashes yet (cross fingers)
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twrock
Aug 15, 2002, 3:25 PM
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I have never knowingly saved a life.
But I was part of a "rescue" of an injured climber at Devil's Lake, WI "many" years ago. The climber had fallen on lead while attempting to clip her second piece of gear. Her first piece was too low with the amount of slack in the system to stop her from hitting the ground head first (maybe 20 feet?). I helped stop the bleeding in both wrists (bones protruding) and we waited "forever" for the EMT's to get there. Fortunately the climber was a doctor herself and had already identified her injuries and was telling us what we should be doing (including the EMT's). She believed that she had injured some vertibrae in her neck in addition to the broken wrists (sorry if I mess up on the medical terms; I'm no doctor). Initially she had no feeling in her legs, but the feeling was returning before the EMT's arrived. She was even asking for specific doctor friends of hers to be contacted to meet her at the hospital and perform the surgery. One note on the EMT's however; two of the three were quite overweight and really seemed to have trouble with the hike down from the top of the cliff and over the fairly rugged trail. It is probably a distinct advantage to be in shape for EMT work.
After helping to carry the litter up to the top of the cliff, I returned to retrieve her gear (which I left at the ranger station). The climb was well within the leaders ability (it was reported to me that she was a capable 5.10 leader and I believe this climb was a 5.6 or 7). The stance from which she fell was a fairly slanted shelf. It is possible that she just simply slipped off of the slick quartzite (it was reported to me that she had recently returned from a trip "out west" and maybe she had gotten too used to the good friction of granite).
I never heard and I've always wondered how it all turned out for her. And it was a little more solemn mood on the car ride home that time.
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climber_chick
Aug 16, 2002, 7:48 AM
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i saved some of my partners out in the prince william sound while sea kayaking. it was fun!!!!
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spydermonkey
Aug 16, 2002, 3:58 PM
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That qualifies as saving a life. Good job for seeing that before something happend.
Be samrt
Be safe
Be happy and keep climbing
spyder
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