On Sunday afternoon, WCSAR was contacted by Menifee dispatch for a climber who had taken a 35’ fall at an Indian Creek crag, Fibrulator a 5.11d trad route. The subject was leading the route when a hold broke, and he began to fall. His personal protective equipment failed to arrest him, and he fell to the ground. During the fall, some of his equipment became unclipped or otherwise dislodged from the rock, and one of his carabiners broke. Incidents like this one illustrate how multiple elements can come together to lead to an accident. The exact reason for the carabineer failure is unknown at this time.
Fibrulator Direct is known to have small gear and difficult to protect. While rare, equipment can fail or become inadvertently unclipped during a fall. Small trad gear requires extra care in placement and can be less reliable than bigger gear on the RRG’S Corbin Sandstone. Common culprits for a carabiner failing include being loaded on the nose, or being loaded over an edge.
A fellow climber, who happened to be a Wilderness First Responder, provided initial care while waiting on Search & Rescue to arrive on scene. The subject was transported to the trailhead and then to the University of Ky hospital by Powell County EMS.
