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nzcragrat
Apr 15, 2007, 9:53 PM
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Don't grab the 'draw - a cautionary tale
Pumped out of his mind and with the prospect of falling off at Britten Crag (Christchurch, New Zealand) recently, James McLafferty erroneously lunged for a quickdraw. Unfortunately his hand slid down the draw,inadvertently opening the gate and allowing the hooked end of the carabiner to penetrate between his index and middle finger.
As he fell past the draw the carabiner slid deeper into his hand and underneath the extensor tendon of his first finger. You can imagine his horror as he jerked himself to a halt before watching the carabiner exit his hand - tearing something white along with it, only to fall further onto the next bolt down.
Once lowered to the ground a quick stocktake revealed no broken bones, but two partially de-gloved fingers, a hand ripped open and an extensor tendon torn completely off the bone.
James would like other climbers to be aware that the practice of grabbing draws is potentially dangerous! Perhaps this photo will help you resist that draw-grabbing urge and take the plunge instead.
Following reconstructive surgery it appears James' tendon has been sucessfully reattached and he is hopeful a rehabilitation programme with the hand therapy department at Christchurch hospital will get him back on the rock next summer.
Report : Greg Jack
Photo : James McLafferty
Posted: nzcragrat
This was first published in The Climber (NZAC), Issue 59 Autumn 2007
(This post was edited by nzcragrat on Apr 15, 2007, 11:13 PM)
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bent_gate
Apr 15, 2007, 10:07 PM
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"Crap! Quick, hop in the car we got to get to the hospital"
"You better elevate your hand, it will stop the blood loss"
--------ten miles down the road----------
"Uh no officer, no really, I wasn't flipping you off, really... Can I go now?..."
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hosh
Apr 15, 2007, 10:32 PM
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Wow, best of luck on the recovery to you, James, and thanks for the pics. I also like to tell climbers to just take the fall instead of grabbing at draws. Now I have a pic to prove why...
All the best, thanks for the report!
cheers!
hosh.
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timm
Apr 15, 2007, 11:29 PM
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Oh man ... you need to put some kinda disclaimer in the title for the sqeemish not to look. That's sick.
But, I hope you a speedy recovery.
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nzcragrat
Apr 15, 2007, 11:45 PM
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Hopefully James might see these thoughts sometime.
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ja1484
Apr 16, 2007, 12:43 AM
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Hope James gets better soon, but yes, you definitely do NOT grab draws on lead. If you want to French Free, clip a sling into the draw and tug on that.
The protection system is there for a reason - let it do the job of stopping your fall.
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nzcragrat
Apr 16, 2007, 5:58 AM
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He was falling not trying to frig (free french)
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fearlessclimber
Apr 16, 2007, 7:08 AM
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hahaha, oh shit that sucks soo bad, i would feel like total idiot, hopefully you cans till climb in the future.
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ja1484
Apr 16, 2007, 11:54 AM
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nzcragrat wrote: He was falling not trying to frig (free french)
I am aware. I am saying in the cases where people *do* want to go FF, they should not just grab the biner end of a draw or gear. Clip a sling and grab that. They tend to slide out of the hand more easily.
(This post was edited by ja1484 on Apr 16, 2007, 11:55 AM)
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notapplicable
Apr 16, 2007, 12:39 PM
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F that. You know, I think I have a pretty strong constitution and have sustained many broken bones and wounds requiring stitches but I cant honestly say with any confidence that if I looked down and saw my tendons floppin free like that I wouldnt puke. Thats one of those injuries that just exposes to much oh the human interior in to bizarre of a manner not to make you weak in the knees.
Hopefully James recovers fully, best of luck man.
Also, thank you James. I'm sending this link to several partners of mine along with a note that says, "I told you so"
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granite_grrl
Apr 16, 2007, 1:25 PM
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duely noted!
(bleh, I sure do have a weak stomac for blood and gore)
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slopjop
Apr 16, 2007, 1:40 PM
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BADASS
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skinnyclimber
Apr 16, 2007, 1:54 PM
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WOW!!!, Please gett better soon bro! We want you back on the rock.
I will think of this picture everytime I consider grabbing a quick draw... but I still may grab it.
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retr2327
Apr 16, 2007, 4:22 PM
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Saw the same thing at the Gunks once a few years back. A beginning leader at Grease Gun Groove fell and grabbed the draw, which also pierced his hand between the thumb and index. Fortunately (I suppose), he didn't fall far enough to rip it through the hand (GGG is a very ledgy climb, so he probably landed on something a few feet below his fall point), but he was still stuck on the climb by his hooked hand until my partner climbed up to free him.
grabbing for the draw is a natural instinct for beginning leaders, but a REAL BAD idea -
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