US /

Utah Caver Stuck Upside-Down Dies

Rescuers fail to free man in crevice 150 feet underground
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 26, 2009 7:02 AM CST

Frantic efforts by dozens of rescuers failed to save a man stuck upside down in a Utah cave. The caver, 26, died after spending 28 hours upside down in the Nutty Putty cave, wedged into a crevice 150 feet below ground so tightly that rescuers couldn't pull him out or reach through to assist him. It wasn't immediately clear what killed the caver, though he was having difficulty breathing, AP reports.

Anyone upside down as long as the caver was suffers nausea and confusion, said a medical expert. The man became stuck in "absolutely the worst spot in the cave," one rescuer told the Deseret News. "It's very narrow, very awkward, and it's difficult to get rescuers down there." At one point, he said, they managed to hoist the man out using a rope pulley system. He was given food and water and spoke to his wife over a police radio before the equipment failed, dropping him back into the same crevice.
(More Utah stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X