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graveleye wrote:that's like a one in a thousand year rockfall. I guess when your numbers up....
We had about a 500 lb piece of breakdown go sliding and almost nailed one of our party. He wasn't on it, but downhill from it. Had his hands on it trying to get out of the way. It stopped and he was ok, but if it had a few more feet and started to tumble it would have ended badly.
BrianFrank wrote:Sounds like close calls happen more often than people have let on. The few elaborated above could have been fatal. Terrible about Valhalla Cave. I hope more of you tell your experiences.
I know its not exactly the same type of accident as a rock falling on or near someone, but I remember ten or so years ago that two people ascended first out of a pit in Alabama. There was still one more ascending the same rope. The two left the pit and came back minutes later to find their friend had died in a fall from the rope being cut. The assumption after the investigation was that a rock had dislodged from above and fell on the rope pinching it against another rock in such a way that cut it in two. I understand there was no noise or scream that they heard, either because he died silently, or they were too far away from the pit at the time to hear anything. I'm sure someone reading this knows more. But, that is bad luck.
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