The man, who has not yet been identified, became trapped when he slid down an area in the cave, causing one of his legs to become wedged in some rocks
Advanced technical rescue units from Frederick, Montgomery and Washington counties worked their way back to the man to rescue him after receiving the first call at 5:42 p.m.
Rescue crews were able to finally free the man, who was uninjured. He was brought out of the cave at about 10:15 p.m.
The man was taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore as a precaution, according to Fire Chief Oley Griffith of The First Hose Co. of Boonsboro.
The man was still about 50 feet from the cave’s entrance at about 9:30 p.m., as rescuers were bringing him out, said Mike Reid, chief of Clear Spring Vol. Fire Co.
“This thing’s getting prolonged,” Reid said.
The incident was reported at 5:42 p.m. Rescue officials were keeping one of the people in the man’s caving party next to him so he didn’t become distressed, Reid said.
“(It was) pretty much crawling to get to him,” Reid said.
The people who were caving with the man sent cellphone pictures of him to rescue crews so they could get an idea of how he was situated, Reid said.
An air line was extended back to the scene, which allowed rescue crews to use an air chisel to help remove some of the debris from around the man’s leg, Reid said.
The cave, known as Schtrumph’s Cave, is believed to be about 300 feet long, Reid said.
Source: Herald Mail
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More pictures can be found at Flickr
Update 26/01/2012:
A cave along Cresspond Road where a man became trapped Tuesday has tight passages that are only about a foot high and other sections where cave explorers must turn their bodies sideways to pass through, a member of a caving group said Wednesday.
At the entrance of Schetromph Cave, the passage drops down 6 to 8 feet, then goes forward about 6 feet, according to Jerry Bowen, of Tri-State Grotto, a Martinsburg, W.Va.-based caving organization that assisted crews in Tuesday’s difficult rescue.
After the cave goes 6 to 8 feet to the left, the cave drops down, which is followed by a “corkscrew,” said Bowen of Hagerstown.
Beyond the corkscrew, there is a crawl way that narrows to only about a foot high. That is where the man, identified Wednesday as James Tracey, became trapped, Bowen said.
Tracey, whose age and address were unavailable Wednesday, became trapped when he slid down an area in the cave, causing one of his legs to become wedged in some rocks, rescue officials said.
Tracey was taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore Tuesday night as a precaution, according to Fire Chief Oley Griffith of The First Hose Co. of Boonsboro.
Washington County Emergency Services Director Kevin Lewis said Tracey was part of a four-person caving party from the Baltimore area.
“They apparently were experienced cavers,” he said.
Advanced technical rescue units from Frederick, Montgomery and Washington counties worked their way back to Tracey to rescue him after receiving the first call at 5:42 p.m.
Rescue crews were able to finally free Tracey, who was uninjured. He was brought out of the cave at about 10:15 p.m.
Safety officials were concerned Tracey might have suffered tissue damage because his leg was pinned for more than four hours.
Rescue workers used an air chisel to chip away the rock to free the Tracey’s leg, Lewis said. Tracey was alert throughout the ordeal.
Lewis said he wasn’t sure how much the rescue would cost taxpayers. At least 40 rescue workers responded from a number of local agencies, including Maryland State Police.
He said the Urban Search and Rescue unit from Montgomery County, Md., also was called.
“We haven’t even put a cost on it,” Lewis said. “We’re still doing the paperwork. It was a significant rescue.”
Watch the video news at your4state.com
More pictures can be found at Flickr
Update 26/01/2012:
A cave along Cresspond Road where a man became trapped Tuesday has tight passages that are only about a foot high and other sections where cave explorers must turn their bodies sideways to pass through, a member of a caving group said Wednesday.
At the entrance of Schetromph Cave, the passage drops down 6 to 8 feet, then goes forward about 6 feet, according to Jerry Bowen, of Tri-State Grotto, a Martinsburg, W.Va.-based caving organization that assisted crews in Tuesday’s difficult rescue.
After the cave goes 6 to 8 feet to the left, the cave drops down, which is followed by a “corkscrew,” said Bowen of Hagerstown.
Beyond the corkscrew, there is a crawl way that narrows to only about a foot high. That is where the man, identified Wednesday as James Tracey, became trapped, Bowen said.
Tracey, whose age and address were unavailable Wednesday, became trapped when he slid down an area in the cave, causing one of his legs to become wedged in some rocks, rescue officials said.
Tracey was taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore Tuesday night as a precaution, according to Fire Chief Oley Griffith of The First Hose Co. of Boonsboro.
Washington County Emergency Services Director Kevin Lewis said Tracey was part of a four-person caving party from the Baltimore area.
“They apparently were experienced cavers,” he said.
Advanced technical rescue units from Frederick, Montgomery and Washington counties worked their way back to Tracey to rescue him after receiving the first call at 5:42 p.m.
Rescue crews were able to finally free Tracey, who was uninjured. He was brought out of the cave at about 10:15 p.m.
Safety officials were concerned Tracey might have suffered tissue damage because his leg was pinned for more than four hours.
Rescue workers used an air chisel to chip away the rock to free the Tracey’s leg, Lewis said. Tracey was alert throughout the ordeal.
Lewis said he wasn’t sure how much the rescue would cost taxpayers. At least 40 rescue workers responded from a number of local agencies, including Maryland State Police.
He said the Urban Search and Rescue unit from Montgomery County, Md., also was called.
“We haven’t even put a cost on it,” Lewis said. “We’re still doing the paperwork. It was a significant rescue.”
More video can be found at Herald Mail