Experienced rescuer walks off the trail and falls to his death
On May 23, 1977, two climbers, Larry Day (26) and Donald Evans (23), began an attempt to climb
the Yosemite Buttress in Yosemite National Park. Although they each had some experience,
neither was prepared for bad weather or an overnight bivouac. The two climbers stumbled up the
route, and as rain fell, their problems increased. Ultimately, Evans fell and injured himself, and Day
called for help. He was told that rescuers would be coming in the morning.
Six rescuers started walking up an established trail up Yosemite Falls trail at 3:30 a.m. the
following morning in search of the ill-prepared rock climbers who had cried out in the dark. For an
unknown reason, Yosemite volunteer Jack Dorn walked off a well-worn path and plunged 400-600
feet to his death. He had been wearing a portable tape player at the time of the accident.
Rescuer injured by falling Hang-glider
In June 1986, a novice hang-glider launched off Lookout Mountain in Golden Colorado, west of
Denver. Lookout Mountain is very popular among hang-gliders and para-sailers, as there are
often favorable updrafts rising from this foothill of the Rocky Mountains.
Shortly after launching, the hang-glider crashed into a steep grassy slope, just ¼ mile from a road.
Witnesses called for rescue, and the Golden Fire Department responded to the scene. While
paramedics attended to the patient, firefighter Tom Young held on to the hang-glider itself, so that
it would blow onto rescuers or tumble down the slope.
Suddenly a large gust of wind ripped the hang-glider from the slope. Instinctively, firefighter Young
held on to it, and he and the hang-glider were launched over a small cliff. Tom Young landed
hard. Fellow rescuers ran to his aid and found him unresponsive, and without a pulse or
respirations. They proceeded with CPR and now planned for an evacuation of two patients.
Although the original subject had broken bones and internal injuries, Young's injuries were life
threatening.
Attempts at CPR were successful at restoring Young's pulse, however he was unable to breathe
on his own. Rescuers were able to evacuate him and he was transported to the hospital where he
was placed on a respirator. Spinal assessment revealed a broken cervical spine with a fractured
spinal cord.
As a result of his injuries, Tom Young is a quadriplegic. An active father, and community member,
Young has remained with the Golden Fire Department to this day. He has proven to be an
inspiration for the Golden community, young and old alike.
Whether the gust of wind was weather-induced may never be known. The Jefferson County
Sheriff's office had also launched its rescue helicopter in an attempt to lower rescuers to the
scene. Some reports indicate that the helicopter's rotor wash may have caused the hang-glider to
shift its position.
2 rescuers injured in 2 incidents one day apart
In early March 1994, in Shenandoah National Park, 2 students from a Smithsonian Institute
Conservation and Research Center study group failed to return from a data-collecting hike. During
the ensuing search, ranger Janice Pauley slipped on ice and slid 50 feet, breaking the radius and
