Rangers Find Arm That Climber Amputated

Associated Press ^ | 5/5/03 | Associated Press

[Romulus]

As a member of a search and rescue team can I just say again.... DO NOT GO OUT ALONE.

Or at least understand the risks when you do. As repeatedly noted, the man left no trip plan with friends awating his safe return. His folly was compounded by the seasonal timing: after winter's freezing, boulders are particularly unstable. This same trip would have been far safer four months from now. I've traveled alone over glaciers and morraines in the Swiss Alps, but it was in late summer, when most everything that wants to fall or tip over has already done so. and yes, it was along well-established routes, where if injured I could have reasonable confidence of being found in less than 24 hours.

[reg45]

If the doctors can reattach John Bobbitt's penis, why can't they reattach this hiker's arm--too large?

It was detached too long and was probably starting to decompose.

[blackbart.223]

"I heard he had to be rescued from an avalanche in February!"

Perhaps a future candidate for The Darwin Awards?

[reg45]

...now known as "Lefty"

... or perhaps "Stumpy".

[reg45]

you'd think he'd be smart enuf to carry a cell phone.

This is the wilderness, city boy, probably beyond the range of cell phones.

[buffyt]

...that is SO BAD! ...but I keep thinking Coyote Ugly every time I hear about this poor climber! God bless him. I hope he heals and recovers just fine. What a horrible ordeal!

[Maven]

I don't understand how the guy cut his own arm off without (a) bleeding to death after he cut through major arteries, and (b) fainting from the pain. Once he began the process and experienced the horrendous agony, how could he have continued? Especially as he got down to deep levels and had to sever big nerves? This is incomprehensible to me. I know, you hear about it from time to time--there was a logger a few years ago who had to cut his own leg off with a small knife after he got stuck under a tree trunk--but I don't get it. It must be a guy thing. Me, I'd lie there and die.

I saw a doctor on a news show talking about this. He said that by the time the Ralston decided to amputate his right arm, the nerves were probably already dead, and that he didn't feel anything.

Maven

[cinFLA]

Thirteen park rangers lugged equipment into this southeastern Utah park and lifted an 800-pound boulder that had trapped a mountain climber until he amputated his arm with a pocketknife.

I thought we were not supposed to alter the "nature" of the park?

[.38sw]

Hm. I was wondering about that. I was also wondering how he sawed through bones with a pocket knife. I was wondering how large and sharp the knife was, and where below the elbow he cut. The radius and ulna are some decent sized bones.

[I'm ALL Right!]

wah wah wah waaaaah. bad...but LOL

[xp38]

Reading the first part of the headline made me think Texas had found a pitcher.

[freedomlover]

Of course this is where Coyote ugly gets its name, but many animals will chew their legs off if caught in a trap. We used to trap muskrats in my grandfather's lake and one way to correctly do it is to place the trap on a chain about 3 feet long and attach the free end of the chain to a plank extending over the water. The animal will walk out on the plank, get caught and nine times out of ten will fall off the plank into the water and drown before it can chew anything off. Not pleasant but better than coming back to a bloody foot sans animal.

The animals do live after doing this. We had an albino muskrat that we called "lefty" after he beat the odds on the plank trap. We gave him a pass after that - figured he earned it and couldn't do too much damage to the dam what with only one foot to dig with. He lived at least 3 years after that.