![]() ![]() Maybe I was just tricking myself to not panic, but ot was just there, as you could just say goodnight to someone before going to bed. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided that would be fun.īut it's weird because I remember thinking during those moments "if I get stuck, this is it, I die here" but it was some kind of peaceful though, not an ounce of fear there. There was one part of the trip that needed us to crawl into an "L" shape crack where you had to twist to stand inside the crack and move sideways until you could climb to a higher section of the cave. I did cave exploration just once in my life, and I had to pass through narrow places, some of which needed me to "compress" my chest and controlling my breath. He was almost completely upsidedown so gravity was fighting against him. People much smaller than him had gotten stuck nearer to the entrance of this tunnel. There was a degree of guess work in regard to the angels of the pulleys and ropes as they wound through the tunnel.Ħ) John was around 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. ![]() ![]() It wasn't possible to widen the tunnel.ĥ) Because of how narrow and long the tunnel was only one rescuer could access John at a time. There wasn't room for heavy machinery or drills in the tunnel so only hand tools could be used in the rescue attempt and it was often taking over an hour to attach a single pulley to the tunnel walls. This problem was compounded because the tunnel was so narrow. It took a very long time to drill or chisel any pulley attachment. This however was likely to put him into shock and kill him.)ģ) He was around 40 minutes into a tunnel, so a system of pulleys had to be constructed to attach to him, rather than just directly pulling.Ĥ) The rock around him and in all of the tunnel was very hard. (It was considered at one point that to successfully remove him his legs would likely have to be broken. There was a ledge above his feet which prevented direct access to his ankles. One arm was stuck between his chest and the rock, the other dangling above his head, so he had no way to push. So there was a low time limit.Ģ) He was oriented poorly in a couple ways. People die in around 24 hours due to blood pooling in the head and lungs. Many things added and made pulling him out more challenging than it might initially seem.ġ) He was stuck upsidedown. Nutty Putty is now closed until a decision can be made about its future, Leavitt said.It's tough to describe, the answer is that they did. The application and pass system is designed to make sure those who go into the cave either have adequate experience or a guide to ensure their safety, Leavitt said. I'm sure he went into this passage hoping it was going to open up into one of the larger rooms." "They were qualified, John was qualified. "They've never been to Nutty Putty before, but they toured many harder caves in the Logan area that required vertical climbing skills," said Leavitt, one of dozens of cavers who volunteered with the rescue effort. Reservations and an access pass is required to explore the cave, with usage restricted to about six groups daily.Ĭave access manager, Michael Leavitt said the Jones group had a pass and were experienced cavers, based on the information provided on a pass application. The cave is privately owned by Utah's State Institutional Trust Land Administration. At times more than 50 rescuers were involved in trying to free him.Ĭannon said the sheriff's office wouldn't give an opinion about whether the cave should remain open for recreation or be closed. The 6-foot-tall, 190-pound spelunker got stuck with his head at an angle below his feet about 9 p.m. John Jones was part of a group of 11 people exploring the cave passages. Cannon said recovery work can be more aggressive than a rescue because the victim's well-being is considered differently. Rescue teams had been using drilling equipment to try and free Jones from the cave. It's unclear when the effort will resume. "We are deeply thankful for the compassion and care they showed John and our family - even to the point of singing John primary songs to help get him through the night," the statement said.Ī recovery effort to extract John Jones' body from the cave was on hold Thursday as the Utah County sheriff's office tried to determine how best to proceed, Sgt. In a statement, the family said the couple was expecting their second child in June. He had a wife and 8-month-old daughter and was a second-year medical student at the University of Virginia. His funeral is planned for Saturday in Stansbury Park. ![]()
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