Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410240080
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
A nearby hiker with a cellular phone was able to call for help on the spot.
Steve Beasley, 20, of Wytheville was rappelling down the face of the 80-foot Dragon's Tooth rock formation when he slipped and plummeted onto some rocks, said Chief Don Jones of the Catawba/Mason Cove Fire Station.
"He was skinned up pretty good," Jones said. Beasley, who was wearing a safety harness, broke one leg in two places, possibly broke some ribs, and had a cut on his head, Jones said.
Jones estimated that Beasley fell about 30 feet, but Patrick Shumate, who was rappelling with Beasley, said the fall was more like 45 to 60 feet.
Shumate, also of Wytheville, is at a loss to explain the accident.
He said both he and Beasley were experienced at climbing and rappelling. They were using high-quality equipment and had secured it properly. Beasley was making the fifth run down on the rope.
"Something must've come undone," Shumate said.
Jones said it took rescuers a while to reach Beasley on the remote mountaintop.
Fortunately, two of the hikers there were nurses, and there was a rescue squad member just down the trail who heard the call on his radio. Jones said the three began treating Beasley right away.
Rescue workers got the call at 1 p.m. and transported Beasley to Roanoke Memorial Hospital around 5 p.m. The helicopter landed in a pasture near Miller's Cove Road about a 20-minute walk from the area where Beasley fell.
Beasley was listed in serious condition Saturday evening.
by CNB