Yesterday was going to be the last day of what was an amazing and fabulous vacation out west, but when doing the first climb of the morning, I lowered Rich and the rope slipped right past my belay (in order words, the rope was too short to lower him off) sending him head first on the rock where he broke his nose, then again 10 feet lower where he landed on his side and head, breaking some ribs, creating an immense laceration on his head (20 staples) and doing more stumbling down the rock. I thought he was dead.

I've never felt this awful. I ran to his help - blood everywhere, he was not responsive, and we were in the middle of nowhere at City of Rocks, practically. I waited a minute for him to somewhat regain consciousness, and then positionned him with his feet up with the hope that while I was getting help, he would not go into shock.

I then ran to the car like I've never ran before and drove to get help, and I luckily ran into a ranger who immediately set out a rescue team and called a helicopter for an evacuation. I then ran back up to Rich and thank god, he was still alive.

About an hour after the accident, he was in the hands of paramedics and was heli-flown to a trauma center in Ogden, Utah. I drove there a few hours later and he had the best team caring for him - truly amazing medical staff.

Anyways, it has been the worst day of my life, between the fear of losing him altogether, the guilt of not having noticed the rope issue, and the pain of seeing him in such distress... and the fact that it was a completely preventable accident. A COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE accident. Just awful.

(Two weeks earlier, another women dropped her husband the same way but 50' and he wasn't so lucky - I did not ask details.)

He was extubated last night and they will be doing more tests today to make sure his brain and spine are fine - thus far, all the tests came back great. No major injuries, just some things that will heal soon.

PLEASE always tie a knot at the end of your rope when top roping, identify CLEARLY the mid-way point of the rope. And wear a helmet.

I will put an update in a few days, but no news until then is good news.

Our best goes to out to you both. Fortunately, he's such a hardman. RC

Thanks for letting us know. Anyone who has been at this game for a while is aware of just how easily a momentary mistake can reverberate for a long time, and how many stupid little things can be big things. I am so glad he will be OK. Has he started doing his own nursing care yet? I think the hard part will be holding him down long enough to recover. Something like this is a great reminder of how much we all mean to each other and especially for you both. I pray that you find peace over this, Mim.

Wishing you both a speedy recovery.

Kent

Prayers and get well thoughts go out to you both. Hang in there.

Glad it wasn't worse, all the best for a full recovery.

things like this really can happen to anyone it happened to me too the exact same way 10 years ago, I fell 30 feet, broken ribs, instead of the cut on the head I got a dislocated elbow so there was less blood. either way, OUCH! having always been a very conservative climber, it took a long time to get back on the horse and it's never been the same since with the fear factor. especially being lowered...
it's lucky to survive such a fall. we'll have you in our thoughts and send blessings your way. wish you a speedy recovery when you get home and see you soon. please be carefull out there everyone.

All the the best to you both. My heart goes out to you Mim---I can imagine what you must have felt.

My wife and I have been there as well, but my situation was next to nothing compared to yours---I was dropped 25 feet (in a gym no less onto 3 inches of pea gravel--no mats in that gym back then) by my belayer who is my wife and soul mate when she was momentarily distracted by my then 5 year-old who she percieved was in danger by a group of boulderers doing stunts. Fortunately for me I had no large fractures, only spinal shock (couldn't walk for a week) and then 2 months of walking very slowly with a cane.

It was worse for her than for me, for sure. It did take me a while to get back on the rock (not surprisingly real rock was much easier and quicker than than the damn gym) and she's back belaying and climbing well too---and with complete confidence. But it took time. Be patient with yourself, please.

But because of that fall I am a freak about closing the rope system always.

Mim! How shocking and scary. I'm so sorry this happened to you guys.

Please let us know if we can help out in any way. Best to you.

I'm really glad to hear that evac and care were available so quick and that Rich is doing good. Here is hoping for just a couple of banged up parts that heal quickly. (Recent Images of Rich leading with his arm cast come to mind, of how he will not be able to sit still of course)

Mike

Best wishes for a speedy, and full, recovery. To both of you. I've been dropped once, but I was lucky: it was only a few feet.

I'm a big fan of having the belayer tied in as he/she would be for following, especially at areas I'm not familiar with. Avoids several problems all at once.

Ouch. Sage advice in an unfamiliar area. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

There's about nothing I can add to the best wishes stated above. Bad news that could have been worse is still bad news. I've never met you Mim, but I've known Rich for decades. May time heal all, physical and mental.

Very sorry to hear of the accident.I will put both of you on my prayer list for a speedy recovery.

Paul

Best wishes to a speedy recovery. Thankfully you both will live to climb another day. Everybody be cautious on this busy weekend!

Thanks everyone - the outstanding amount of support, love and compassion from the climbing community, friends and family is almost overwhelming.

He only has some bruises and fractures that can heal by themselves. He looks (and feels) as if he did 12 rounds with Mohamed Ali (and lost) but he has a very good spirit. He is supposed to get discharged tomorrow. Today he was sitting, talking & eating - an amazing recovery.

Thanks for your support...

Mim, That's great news! I think Rich may actually be made of iron. Tell him to get his ass back here, we've got a shit ton of work to do and the Bank's feeling empty!
Chris

Best thoughts and energy to you and Rich, M.

Stark reminder to us all to always CLOSE THE SYSTEM.

Good news! Ditto what Paul said.

CLOSE THE SYSTEM is guide-speak for "always tie a knot in the end".

Best wishes to Rich for a speedy physical recovery. And to you Mim for a speedy psychological recovery!

Just logged on for the first time in a while and saw this. So glad to hear it wasn't worse. Best wishes to both of you.

(Edited for typo.)

We arrived back home late Saturday evening to a house that the pet/house sitter left in better shape than we'd ever dreamed of - absolutely wonderful. Richie spent the next day sleeping. On Monday he was walking around, did some cooking, but was still really sore all over.

Tuesday we saw his orthopaedic doctor who reviewed his Utah medical file in details and had X-rays taken (again) of his shoulders and neck. He said:
- Acromion process fracture - will heal by itself
- Fractured nose - will heal by itself
- Fractured rib - will heal by itself
- Knee - for the MCL tear, he ordered physical therapy for now, in the hope to avoid surgery
- Neck - he ordered to see a neck specialist in two weeks about the C6 spinous process fracture and to keep wearing the neck brace until then.

We'll see the orthopaedic doctor again in two weeks for a follow-up on his knee. Hopefully, he can avoid surgery with physical therapy.

On Wed. we saw the physical therapist who gave him some exercises to do at home. We'll see him again a couple of times next week.

Today we saw his regular MD for a swollen elbow that didn't look too good and he now has to take antibiotics for ten days... The doctor ordered to "keep it easy and keep a low profile", to which I replied, "can you prescribe some Valium with that?"

Every morning, the first thing out of Richie's mouth is, "Boy, I feel much better than yesterday." He has been an exemplary patient, taken his meds, resting, wearing his brace, doing his exercises, etc... However, given Richie's personality, I suspect the lion-in-a-cage syndrome will start imminently... He is not allowed to drive (or work) for at least another couple of weeks.

Some of you have asked what you can do to help. If we need anything, we won't be shy to ask. However, if any of you feel compelled to give back, there are no rescue funds to speak of at City of Rocks, but I encourage you to donate something to any of your favored rock climbing rescue fund, SAR, etc. as they are the first responders in any rock climbing accident. The rangers at City of Rocks helped make his transition from the accident to the ER a mere 2 hours. They also helped by retrieving his gear, helped me packed our camping gear, offered support, directions to the hospital, etc... they were amazing.

In addition, the McKay-Dee Hospital where he went in Ogden, UT, has a foundation that helps people like me, family of the patients from out of state, by providing a low-cost ($20/night) guest house right across the street from the hospital. I cannot begin to tell you how MUCH this made a difference to me - I only had to walk a mere 5 mins and go visit Rich, and then when he needed to rest, I would just have to walk back to the mini-hotel. They had free laundry & computers, a home-like setting with a big living room and large hotel-like rooms with kitchenettes... brand new as they just opened this donation-run facility less than a month ago. When he got discharged late Thursday night, I wheeled him across the street right into the room and the next morning I wheeled him back to the hospital for the 7 AM MRI of the knee and then wheeled him back to the room where he was able to take a nice nap before we started inching our way back home, driving to the Salt Lake City airport... it made our lives very smooth, given the circumstances. Moreover, the staff at the hospital - and we mean EVERYONE at the hospital - was absolutely phenomenal and amazing...

To start, after the accident, I had to drive 2.5 hrs from City of Rocks to the hospital and they had a social worker call me from the Emergency Room every 40-60 mins to give me an update ("He was just admitted, he is now going to get a CAT scan of his brain and neck - will let you know the results." An hour later I received another call "the CAT scans of his brain and neck all came back negative, so now they are going to stitch and clean his head wounds and I'll call you later" etc...) By the time I got to the hospital, I knew exactly what they had done to him, what the results were, and the worries were this much lessened as a result.

When he got transferred to ICU, another social worker spent more than an hour with me, (we had paperwork to fill out, of course, but that was secondary), who made sure I had friends/family to call, and made sure that I was okay... I could go on and on about the great care he received during his three-day stint there.... This was a HUMANE hospital experience. If they could only be all like this...

If you can, please donate to their Foundation by clicking on their Make a Donation Online button found here

As a suggestion, I would recommend their Endowment Fund that supports the Guest House Campaign.

Again, thank you for your amazing support.

Great to hear that you guys made it home an that Rich is doing well. Hope you both heal and recover quickly.

Also sorry to hear of your circumstances. Its so easy to become complacent, and its so hard to go back...

Heal up!

A major recovery "milestone" is returning to work. Please let us know when that happens.

Mim, that certainly is a classy operation that you were so fortunate to "fall into"! Sorry, couldn't resist. I work in several hospitals and you were certainly treated extreamely well. Thanks for the update. Rich would not know me but tell him I look forward to hearing yell ACTION! again while climbing, as he did when I first met him many years ago.

How are Mim and Rich doing?

Tuesday was the 8th week since the accident...

Knee is still in recovery, but gentle hikes are somewhat okay right now.
Shoulder is okay, but stiff.
Neck still hurts... he just got out of the neck brace this week, so there is a lot of stiffness.
Head injury: he got the okay to drive yesterday, but the neurologist recommended he waits another two weeks before returning to work. He still has some short-term memory issues.
Mood - hard to be jolly when you miss your favorite season of the year and you are on house arrest... but he is making the most of his recovery, as much as he can. He started scanning old photos this week, bringing back some good ol' memories to life.

Some things we've learned since then (not in order):

Have proper medical insurance. Luckily, he had a basic emergency care insurance, but all the post ER visits (drs., PT, etc...) were not covered. We still don't know the financial liability of the whole ordeal yet, but once the dust settles, it will still be a fair amount (but not the $50K from the original hospital/evac bill).

Get injury/sickness insurance. This is different from health care coverage. It gives you a lump sum per event (ER, ICU, etc....) which helps cover loss of income, additional health care expenses, etc. Rich luckily has such insurance with Combined Life and it will help not completely deplete his savings account.

Make sure you have an emergency fund. Not everyone thinks ahead (or can't), but it adds not to have to recover from financial ruin after such an ordeal.

Call the HR department as soon as you can. Rich called his supervisors and staffing as soon as we got back, but lo and behold, nobody told the HR department. He got a call this week that if he is not back to work by Monday, he loses his position.

Brace yourself with patience with dealing with bureaucracies and be organized. In fact, designate someone who is not in recovery to do these tasks (disability insurance, medical insurance, injury insurance, HR issues... everyone wants different forms filled out...)

Get all the support you can. Friends, neighbors, relatives, therapist... you will need it.

Mim

P.S. After receiving PTSD-specific therapy, I am almost done with the nightmares and flashbacks, which I tried to ignore the first five weeks as something that "will pass". It didn't.

That's quite a sobering post, Mim. It seems as if funds drainage is a strong second blow after the physically traumatic one. I, for one, hate to think about how unprepared I am, especially in the get-all-the-support-you-can department. I feel for both of you and wish you the best and hope Rich can get back to work soon and you can put much behind you.

Thanks for the update. Anyone who climbs, especially, but in fact anyone alive needs to be mindful of the impact an accident can have on ourselves and loved ones. Wishing you both a continued speedy recovery.

You both seem strong, and it sounds like you are both progressing in your recoveries despite all the hardships. I wish you both the best of luck. And thank you for the good advice.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to thank you all for your wonderful and supportive words, the good energy and thoughts sent during this difficult time.

After a ten-week recovery, Rich finally went back to work last week (and miraculously saved his position). He is not yet back fully himself, as this may take many more weeks/months, but he is 70% recovered, which is amazing.

Again, thanks for your great support.
Mim

Oh Mim this is great to hear. Extra thanks will be giving for that today!

And thanks for keeping us up to date on the situation, Mim. It seems to be a good news/bad news affair -- back to work, yet there's 30% left to go. We're all pulling for Rich.

I do it now!