During the early afternoon of January 2, Bill McAfee (40) fell off Good Samaritans (5.9+), located on the Cereal Buttress. He had placed a solid-looking No. 3 Camalot about 10 to 12 feet into the climb. He climbed another 10 feet or so, and was working on placing another piece of pro. McAfee and his partner had discussed using the bolts on an adjacent route (Frankenberry), but they were out of reach. He was approximately 25 to 30 feet up the corner, doing a layback move, when he fell. McAfee experienced severe head trauma despite wearing a helmet. Rescue personnel, working with climbers, carried him down from the Cereal Buttress to the parking lot. A helicopter left around 3:10 p.m. He died later in the day.

Analysis

Bill McAfee climbed too far above his last piece of protection for it to even matter in the event of a fall. He was too run-out. (Source: Aram Attarian.)