Last update: February 18, 2007
Copyright © 2000, 2005 National Speleological Society
All Rights Reserved
Do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise, without permission.
The current file of reports for 2000 includes the incidents listed below. In some cases the reports are incomplete. If you have information about such incidents or about an incident which is not listed here, please contact the ACA Editor at aca@caves.org or use the online accident report form to report it.
NSS Members can read this ACA issue (and more) online.
Incidents listed in red are those for which the file is incomplete. The standard information required for an ACA incident summary is listed in the style guide.
2000 Incidents |
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| Date | Cave | Location | Result | Incident Type |
|
January 1 |
Queen Blair Cave |
Indiana |
aid, no injury |
lost, stranded, intoxication, inexperience |
|
January 4 |
Onyx Cave |
Arizona |
injury and aid |
caver fall, broken leg |
|
January 9 |
Emisine Cave |
Hawaii |
injury and aid |
cut by sharp rock |
|
February 12 |
Cemetery Pit |
Georgia |
aid, no injury |
stranded on rope, inexperience |
|
February 12 |
Indian Grave Point Cave |
Tennessee |
aid, no injury |
stranded, descended pit hand-over-hand |
|
February 12 |
Sloans Valley Cave |
Kentucky |
injury and aid |
stuck in crevice |
|
February 16 |
Jennings Cave |
Florida |
aid, no injury |
stranded in pit, inadequate equipment |
|
February 17 |
Rattling Cave |
Tennessee |
aid, no injury |
difficulty on rope |
|
February 26 |
Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave |
Tennessee |
aid, no injury |
stranded |
|
March 2 |
Tongue River Cave |
Wyoming |
injury and aid |
caver fall |
|
March 11 |
Cass Cave |
West Virginia |
aid, no injury |
flood entrapment |
|
March 15 |
J-4 Cave |
Pennsylvania |
injury and aid |
caver fall |
|
March 16 |
Birds Drop |
Virginia |
fatality |
caver fall |
|
March 24 |
Doe Mountain Cave |
Virginia |
injury and aid |
caver fall, dislocated shoulder |
|
April 6 |
Tongue River Cave |
Wyoming |
injury and aid |
caver fall |
|
April 8 |
Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave |
Tennessee |
injury and aid |
caver fall |
|
April 9 |
Thunderhole |
Alabama |
aid, no injury |
stranded in pit, inadequate equipment |
|
April 18 |
Cueva Chorreadero |
Mexico |
injury and aid |
lost, stranded, hypothermia |
|
April 22 |
Mammoth Cave |
Kentucky |
injury and aid |
caver fall, broken ankle |
|
April 22 |
W-Road Cave |
Tennessee |
aid, no injury |
stranded in pit, inadequate equipment |
|
April 29 |
Climax Cave |
Georgia |
injury, no aid |
histoplasmosis |
| April 30 | unspecified cave in Sevier County | Tennessee | injury and aid | caver fall |
| May 13 | unnamed cave | Washington | injury and aid | rockfall entrapment |
|
May 20 |
O-9 Well |
Texas |
injury and aid |
caver fall, broken ankle |
|
Spring |
Cueva Alfredo Jahn |
Venezuela |
injury, no aid |
histoplasmosis |
| June 27 | Fieldhouse Cave | West Virginia | aid, no injury | caver fall from ladder |
|
July 1 |
Big Springs Cave |
West Virginia |
injury and aid |
caver fall, dislocated shoulder |
| July 4 | Greenville Saltpeter Cave | West Virginia | injury and aid | caver fall |
|
August 5 |
Nielsons Well |
Utah |
no consequence |
rockfall |
|
August 12 |
Clarks Cave |
Virginia |
injury and aid |
caver fall, dislocated shoulder |
| August 12 | Wind-Ice Cave | Wyoming | aid, no injury | stranded, inadequate equipment |
| August 15 | talus cave at Pine Mountain | New Hampshire | aid, no injury | stuck |
| August 19 | Bat Cave | Kentucky | injury and aid | caver fall |
|
August |
Duffield Cave |
Pennsylvania |
aid, no injury |
stuck, hypothermia |
|
September 2 |
Gruta del Palmito |
Mexico |
injury and aid |
caver fall, dislocated shoulder |
|
September 7 |
Sulfur Cave |
Colorado |
injury and aid |
hypoxia, bad air |
| September 16 | Great Saltpeter Cave | Kentucky | injury, no aid | struck by thrown cyalume stick |
|
September 30 |
O-9 Well |
Texas |
fatality |
caver fall, bolt climbing |
|
October 19 |
Mammoth Cave |
Kentucky |
aid, no injury |
lost, stranded |
|
December 3 |
Snail Shell Cave |
Tennessee |
injury and aid |
stranded, hypothermia |
|
December 9 |
Pink Lime Pit |
Utah |
aid, no injury |
stranded on rope |
Cave Diving Accidents and Incidents |
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2000 Diving Incidents |
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| Date | Cave | Location | Result | Incident Type |
| March 6 | Little River Spring | Florida | fatality | siltation, exceeded training |
| March 11 | Cenote Dos Ojos | Mexico | injury, no aid | decompression sickness |
| May 29 | Little River Spring | Florida | fatality | inadequate equipment |
| June 26 | Poza de Juan Claro | Cuba | four fatalities | no guideline, inadequate equipment |
| July 13 | Cenote Sabak Ha | Mexico | fatality | apparent heart attack |
| September 17 | unnamed well in Goss Canyon | California | fatality | bad air in gas pocket |
| November 2 | Ceita Core | Brazil | fatality | deep diving on air |
| November 23 | Vortex Spring | Florida | fatality | unknown |
Caving-Related Incidents |
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2000 Outside Incidents |
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| Date | Cave | Location | Result | Incident Type |
| March 4 | Garnet mine near Orogrande | New Mexico | fatality | fell down mine shaft |
|
March 11 |
Canteen Springs Cave |
Uah |
no consequence |
snowmobile fell into cave |
|
March 19 |
Let’s All Pray to Jesus Cave |
British Columbia |
injury and aid |
rockfall, caver fall |
| June 15 | Lechuguilla Cave | New Mexico | injury and aid | fell while hiking to cave, broken leg |
| July 9 | Steeles Cave | West Virginia | aid, no injury | rescued stranded calf from cave |
| August 12 | Rippled Cave | California | injury, no aid | stung by wasps |
| October 14 | Buckners Cave | Indiana | injury and aid | fell into entrance sink, intoxication |
| November 10 | unnamed cave | Hawaii | fatality | swept into cave entrance, drowned |
| November 12 | Blount County cave | Alabama | injury and aid | kidnapping victim left in cave |
| November 15 | Spitting Cave | Hawaii | fatality | jumped onto rocks outside entrance |
| November 18 | Indian Cave | Tennessee | injury and aid | drug overdoses at party in cave |
Copyright © 2000, 2005 National Speleological Society
All Rights Reserved
Do not reproduce in any form, electronic or otherwise, without permission.