Incidents:Broken Ankle in Parkett

Broken Ankle in Parkett
Date	2022/09/21
Location	Parkett Creek
Severity	Injury
Canyoneering-related	Yes
SAR involvement	No
Navigation problem	No
Swift water problem
Environmental problem	No
Communication problem	Yes
Planning problem	No
Skills problem	No
Body movement problem	Yes
Rigging problem	No
Rappel problem	No
Insufficient gear	No
Gear failure	No

Summary

One member of a 4-person team (2 experienced canyoneers, 2 novices) misjudged a short jump, striking a rock and rolling the left ankle. Group was able to splint the ankle and self-rescue, scrambling ~400 feet up the canyon wall with rope protection before bushwacking back to the vehicle. Upon X-ray, determined to be a fractured left tibia.

For reference, it took about 3 hours from the time of injury to reach the main parking area. The canyon beta notes that Parkett is a very bad place for an injury, and I can now confirm this to be the case.

Ultimately, as the injured party, I can say this was a careless mistake. The jump was short, maybe 2', into shallow water--I could have easily avoided the injury by simply downclimbing. Additionally, it is worth noting that canyoneering is a team sport: the first person to notice a hazard, such as a loose rock or a rock obscured under the surface of the water in a pool/jumping spot, can and should point out the hazard to subsequent members of the group. As the most experienced member of the group, I held responsibility for coaching newer members in this information-sharing practice and setting an example by pointing out hazards to them earlier on in the canyon. This practice is important because when one member of the team is injured, it becomes everyone's problem.