Forest Supervisor
Inyo National Forest
873 N. Main Street
Bishop, California 93515
Thomas Locker
Casa Vieja Guard Station
Inyo National Forest
August 9, 1979
Dear Sir,
I am writing in response to your request
for additional information in Block 13 of the CA-1 (Federal Employee’s Notice
of Traumatic Injury and Claim for Continuation of Pay/Compensation). I put “bad decisions” as the cause of my
accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details
will be sufficient.
On the day of the accident, I was providing
logistic support to an Environmental Analysis Team analyzing options for
cheatgrass reduction in the Red Rock Creek drainage near Jordan Hot Springs. My assignment was to pack the Team’s supplies
and equipment on a mule string.
We arrived at Jordan at about 1500
hours. My assistant packer, Bill
Schofield, and several members of the Team unsaddled the horses and removed the
mules’ packs. We hobbled the animals for
the night. As we planned to continue on
to Redrock Meadows the next morning we only took that evening’s supplies from
the packs. After cooking dinner and
finishing cleanup, since there had been reports of considerable bear activity
in the vicinity, Packer Schofield climbed a nearby tree and looped a rope over
a branch. We hoisted the packs, which
contained surveying and scientific equipment as well as food, about 50 feet
above the ground.
After this the rest of the party went
down to the hot springs. I remained in
camp by myself. I had planned to finish
a book I had brought along.
Unfortunately I had forgotten to take it out of the pack before
hoisting. I knew that the total weight
of the packs we had hoisted up was about 400 lbs. and that I could not lower
and raise them by myself. I decided to use
one of the mules.
After refastening the hoisting rope with
a slip knot, I scooped a few oats into my hand and went towards the
pasture. “Vudu” was the closest mule and
I quickly enticed her with reach. This
was probably not the wisest choice as Vudu can often be skittish.
After untying the hobbles, I wrapped the
bitter end of the hoisting rope around her chest, tying a loop just behind the
forelegs. I then pulled the slipknot
loose. The packs dropped about two or
three feet, taking the slack out of the rope.
The sudden tug and the rattling of cans and equipment spooked Vudu.
She began to run, kicking and bucking
until the packs snagged against their supporting branch. At this point I would say that the mule
panicked. The bucking became extremely
violent and the loop I’d tied around her chest slipped back to her belly and
rear legs. The next couple of kicks
freed her from the rope and the packs began to fall.
Knowing the value of some of the
equipment in the packs, I grabbed the rapidly moving rope, in the process
tangling my left foot in the line.
I weigh about 150 lbs, the packs about
400 lbs. When I realized that I would
not be able to stop the packs, I released the rope. Imagine my surprise at being jerked off the
ground by the tangles around my leg.
Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid
rate up towards the supporting branch.
At about 25 feet, I met the packs, which were now proceeding downward at
an equally impressive speed. This explains the broken right ankle. Slowed only slightly by this impact, I
continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the packs hit the ground, leaving
me hanging momentarily by my right leg approximately 45 feet in the air.
Unfortunately, when the packs hit the
ground, the cord tying them together snapped, freeing all the packs save one. Now devoid of the weight of most of the packs,
only approximately 50 lbs. remained at the other end of the rope. As my weight was now
greater, I began a rapid descent back
towards the ground.
In about 25 feet, I encountered the remaining
pack on its upward journey. This accounts for the broken tooth, several lacerations of my arms and upper
body and the partially detached ear.
Here my luck changed slightly. The
encounter with the attached pack seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries
when I fell into the pile of packs and suffered only three cracked vertebrae.
I am sorry to report, however, that as I
lay there on the pile of packs, in pain, barely able to move, I lost my
composure and presence of mind. I untangled
the rope from around my now-broken ankle and lay there watching the pack begin its journey
back down upon me. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the
broken collar bone.
I hope this explanation adequately answers
your inquiry.
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