Quickdraws that led to a youngster's death
Posted: Jul 12, 2013 6:59 pm
This was on our SAR blog, so thought I'd share it, just in case...someone uses these quickdraws:
The Quickdraws that Led to the Death of Tito Traversa
Always check each others gear; especially if it is an emergency!
7/9/13 – The French magazine Grimper has published photos from the police of how the quickdraws that led to the death of 12-year-old Italian climber Tito Traversa were assembled. The young man was lowering off a 5.10b at the French crag Orpierre when, tragically, eight of the 12 quickdraws failed, sending him tumbling about 25 meters to the ground. Traversa spent three days in a coma in a hospital before succumbing to his injuries.
The quickdraws belonged to someone in Traversa’s group and had been set up incorrectly. The clipping carabiner passed only through the rubber-band “keeper” attached to the dogbone, instead of through the actual full-strength loop of the quickdraw. The eight draws assembled incorrectly were on the upper half of the route.
Grimper reports that the accident is under investigation. The photos were released as a reminder to always double-check that climbing gear is assembled correctly, knots are tied correctly, belay devices are loaded properly, and so forth.
Picture is missing, but it shows the nylon sling clipped in with a rubber keeper, rather than on the dogbone
The incorrect quickdraw set-up that led to Tito Traversa's fatal accident. The carabiner should be threaded through the full-strength nylon loop of the dogbone instead of the rubber "keeper" string. Normally this keeper is on the rope end of the quickdraw. Photo courtesy of grimper.com
The Quickdraws that Led to the Death of Tito Traversa
Always check each others gear; especially if it is an emergency!
7/9/13 – The French magazine Grimper has published photos from the police of how the quickdraws that led to the death of 12-year-old Italian climber Tito Traversa were assembled. The young man was lowering off a 5.10b at the French crag Orpierre when, tragically, eight of the 12 quickdraws failed, sending him tumbling about 25 meters to the ground. Traversa spent three days in a coma in a hospital before succumbing to his injuries.
The quickdraws belonged to someone in Traversa’s group and had been set up incorrectly. The clipping carabiner passed only through the rubber-band “keeper” attached to the dogbone, instead of through the actual full-strength loop of the quickdraw. The eight draws assembled incorrectly were on the upper half of the route.
Grimper reports that the accident is under investigation. The photos were released as a reminder to always double-check that climbing gear is assembled correctly, knots are tied correctly, belay devices are loaded properly, and so forth.
Picture is missing, but it shows the nylon sling clipped in with a rubber keeper, rather than on the dogbone
The incorrect quickdraw set-up that led to Tito Traversa's fatal accident. The carabiner should be threaded through the full-strength nylon loop of the dogbone instead of the rubber "keeper" string. Normally this keeper is on the rope end of the quickdraw. Photo courtesy of grimper.com