Woman rescued from one of the deepest caves in Texas
(Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife)
TERRELL COUNTY, Texas - A specialized rescue team of more than 60 personnel successfully extricated a researcher from one of the deepest cave systems in Texas on Sunday morning after a falling rock caused serious head and back injuries nearly 500 feet below ground.
Sorcerer's Cave rescue
What we know:
The injured caver, who was part of a statewide research team, was struck by a dislodged rock in Sorcerer's Cave around 7 p.m. Saturday while beginning an ascent from the "River Pit," the deepest section of the cave located about 470 feet underground. The accident triggered a grueling 17-hour ordeal, including a nine-hour technical rescue operation through some of the most challenging vertical terrain in the state.
(Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife)
Rescuers had to navigate the injured woman through narrow "squeezes," including one measuring just 12 inches by 36 inches, as well as vertical pits ranging from 30 to 90 feet in depth. According to a statement from an official oversight member, the route involved a series of steep drops known as the "Poltergeist Pit" and "Demon Drop".
The U.S. Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) team made contact with the cave researchers at 3 a.m. Sunday. BORSTAR agents provided fresh manpower and additional ropes, allowing the team to move the patient through the final vertical pits and a narrow squeeze without the time-consuming need to de-rig and reset rescue lines.
The researcher finally exited the cave at 4:45 a.m. and was taken across uneven terrain to a waiting AeroCare helicopter. She was airlifted to a hospital in Odessa, where she remains in the intensive care unit. Officials did not release her condition, but stated she was stable.
The massive effort included the Terrell County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Game Wardens and Texas DPS, Sanderson and Fort Stockton Fire Departments, Sanderson EMS, and National Cave Rescue Commission and San Antonio Technical Rescue.
Dig deeper:
Sorcerer’s Cave, located on private land in remote Terrell County, in the broader area of the Big Bend region, is noted for its record-setting depth of 567 feet and the "Sirion River," a subterranean waterway flowing along the bottom. Experts note that while the cave is a site of significant scientific interest, its vertical layout makes it exceptionally dangerous for the inexperienced or the injured.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Terrell County Sheriff's Office and a statement from a person directly involved in the oversight of the caving operation.