Fall on Rock, Protection Pulled, No Helmet

Virginia, Great Falls
Climb Year: 2012. Publication Year: 2013.

On September 9, Dennis (27) and TJ (25) were trad climbing Armbuster (5.9), located in the Bird’s Nest area of Great Falls. Leading the route, TJ fell at the crux a few feet above his top piece of protection. This top piece, a nut that had held previous leader falls, popped out, and another nut and a cam placed within one and a half body lengths of the top piece also pulled out. The next piece was too low on the route to prevent TJ from falling approximately 20 feet to the ground.

A first responder noted, “I ran over and found a male climber sitting at the base of the climb with a little blood on the front of his shirt. I asked if he was OK, and he told me that he hit the back of his head. He knew his name, where he was, and what day it was. I looked at the helmet sitting next to him and said, ‘Luckily you had your helmet on.’ His reply, ‘I didn’t.’ Upon further examination, I noted a large laceration on the back of his head, with blood streaming down his back.”Injuries included a laceration to the head, concussion, and a fractured foot.

Analysis

The rock in this area has a reputation for failing or allowing protection to slip out. We won’t trad climb on this rock again. Additionally, our rope was well-used (1.5 years old, I believe). It was stiff, and we didn’t change ends or retie knots between falls. The condition of the rope, combined with a relatively static belay, probably exerted more force on the protection than was necessary. And always wear a helmet. (Source: Dennis—last name unknown—and M. Brown.)