Incidents:Dental trauma in North Fork Kaweah (Lower)
| Dental trauma in North Fork Kaweah (Lower) | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2024/09/02 |
| Location | North Fork of the Kaweah River (Lower) |
| Severity | Injury |
| Canyoneering-related | Yes |
| SAR involvement | Yes |
| Navigation problem | No |
| Environmental problem | No |
| Communication problem | No |
| Planning problem | No |
| Skills problem | No |
| Body movement problem | Yes |
| Rigging problem | No |
| Rappel problem | No |
| Insufficient gear | No |
| Gear failure | No |
Summary
An experienced party of 3 descended the combined "North Fork of the Kaweah" trip, including Stony Creek, Upper Kaweah and Lower Kaweah as part of a planned multi-day trip. On day 2, the group was descending the first technical section of the Lower section. The group had bypassed several of the obstacles due to concerns about a missing bolt in the "teacups" portion of the technical section.
The group was descending through a series of narrow granite corridors towards the end of the section when one member of the party lost their balance and their feet were swept by flowing water. Unfortunately, the fall resulted in significant trauma to the upper mandible including a severe laceration to the upper lip, minor deflection to teeth #8-11 and chipping teeth #8 and #10. The person remained concious and did not suffer any other injuries.
Once the shock of the accident was past, the group continued descending the canyon including a rappel, a slide and some swimming before coming to the last rappel of the section. The injured team member was in good spirits and would have continued the descent, but the trauma of the injury - specifically the lip lacerations - prevented any food to be eaten. Given the long balance of canyon remaining, the team made the decision to call for a rescue.
Contact with SAR was obtained promptly after calling the beacon, and a helicopeter arrived in ~90 minutes from the initial call. Due to the canyon geography, it took another ~30 mintues or so to gauge the approach. The injured party was hoisted into the helicopter and taken to Fresno for medical attention. The other two members of the party continued their trip, existing the middle of day 3.
