FALL ON ROCK, CLIMBING UNROPED

California, Joshua Tree National Monument, Echo Cove

On May 1, 1993, at 1413,1 was notified of a climbing accident in the Echo Cove area of Lost Horse. I arrived on scene at 1425 and got to the victim at 1435.1 found Matthew A. Walker (20) lying on a ledge about 40 feet off the ground. Around 1400 Walker had attempted to free solo climb “Palm-U-Granite,” a 5.7 crack climb, when he fell approximately 45 feet to the ledge. Walker’s main injury was a compound dislocation/fracture to his left ankle. His leg was splinted and he was placed in full C-spine precaution, then placed in a litter and lowered to the ground via a technical lowering system. Once on the ground, he was wheeled the 100 yards to the parking lot where Mercy Air Ambulance flew him to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs. He is fortunate to have survived this fall. (Source: David Trevino, NPS Ranger, Joshua Tree National Monument)