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SAR training operations list of accidents, injuries, & incidents page
Wilderness
accidents, injuries, and incidents are not something that only happen
on other people's wilderness adventures or to other wilderness trippers.
Such problematic situations have occurred, and will occur, on trips, expeditions,
and SAR operations organized by Michael Neiger.
Mary Powell's totally blown-out knee immobilized
by slats of old growth during a May '01 trip
to the remote, northern section of the McCormick Tract in Marquette
County.
Read
journal and view photos from this trip (Photo by Mary Powell)
In reading through the list of accidents, injuries, and incidents enumerated
below that have occurred on the 100s of trips, expeditions, and SAR
operations organized or participated in by Michael Neiger, think about
how you would avoid them as well as what you would do if they happened
to you or fellow tripper....think about what equipment or skills would
be handy if you faced a similar situation deep in the wilderness....
- Poor fitness required aborting trip
- Poor sledge design
- 2 lost sledge pins
- Head injury required helo evacuation
- Poor fitness slowed progress
- Inadequate cold-weather boots
- Broken sledge trace
- Seam failure on boots; repaired with duct tape
- Cut hand
- Trip-ending leg injury
- Non-personal injury car accident on freeway resulted in towed vehicle
- Broken sledge trace attachment
- Repeated failure of sledge trace repair
- Broken sledge mid-trace junction
- Ski poles forgotten
- Frostbitten finger resulted in evacuation and amputation
- Two debilitating back injuries and exhaustion resulted in evacuation
- Lost nylon lock nut resulted in failure of sledge trace to waist
harness connection
- Failure of fixed stud on Survivor wood saw made it unusable
- Broken tent zipper
- Broken sleeping bag zipper
- Sinus infection
- Non-field tested mukluks much too big
- Non-field tested mukluks too big for snowshoe bindings
- Snowshoe buckle/strap failure
- Several day's snack rations forgotten
- Frozen boot liners
- Frozen water bottles
- Stove problems
- Exhaustion
- Several two-wheel-drive vehicles became stuck on steep, snow-covered
hill on county road
- Tripper twisted knee twice
- Two slip and falls injured and reinjured tripper's shoulder
- Ice in cap threads of Nalgene water bottle allowed water to soak
foot box of sleeping bag
- Butane stove inoperable due to cold temperatures
- Frozen water filters
- Lack of heavily-insulated boots led to cold feet
- Bad car battery required jump to restart car at start and end of
trip
- Water bladder hoses froze up repeatedly
- Several trippers ran out of water
- Incapacitating migraine headache
- Tripper who registered for trip failed to show up for trip and did
not cancel with organizer, which resulted in two vehicle searches
of miles of county roads and several phone calls, none of which resolved
the question of what had happened to the tripper until four days later
- Tripper cold from lack of insulated overpants with side zips
- 2 trippers caught common cold during trip
- Tripper caught common cold during expedition
- Tripper went for walk on Canadian portage trail; ascended nearby
hill; became disoriented on return; brought back to bivouac spot by
voice calls
- Severe, debilitating blisters
- Steri Pen water purifier failure due to run down batteries; no spares
carried (another tripper provided her spares)
- New pack torn in two locations from rugged, rocky bushwhacking
- Rugged bushwhacking broke handle off Mitchell fishing reel
- Severely sprained ankle on day 2 of 9-day expedition; taping and
wrapping allowed expedition to continue
- Tripper ran out of food on last day of expedition
- High winds blew insulating ground pad out into pond where it hung
up on floating vegetation; retrieved after a lot of swamp bushwhacking
and deep-water wading
- Wet foot after breaking through bad ice
- Hat lost; retrieved and returned by snowmobiler
- Sledge came free of skier on long downhill and almost fell into
deep ravine
- MSR stove failure; fuel intake line improperly placed; corrected
- Too much gear on sledge nearly immobilized tripper; careful sorting
and caching of gear in bush allowed tripper to complete trip; cached
gear picked up on 2nd to last day of trip
- Inadequate sledge design brought halt to multi-day bushwhacking
trip; 8-hours of intense, late-night and early-morning disassembly,
redesign, and reconstruction in the bush corrected problem and trip
was completed without difficulty
- MSR stove failure: improper placement of fuel intake line on fuel
pump; corrected
- Key locked in car; lacking a spare key, car was unlocked using stiff
bailing wire from field repair kit
- Basket lost from ski pole; another one fashioned by cross-cutting
a slice of a tree, boring a hole in it, and lashing it in place with
1/8-inch-diameter cordage
- Multiple sledge rollovers from improperly packed cargo (heavy items
too high up)
- Severe, dibilitating ankle sprain from fall required evacuation
and emergercy room visit
- Case of giardia ended SAR operation
- Ill-fitting boots slowed tripper
- Disabling giardia
- Hiker became disoriented; was able to signal another hiker with
whistle and find group
- Bowie knife blade broke off at handle
- Complete delamination and separation of Asolo hiking boot sole
- Improperly attached rucksack floated free of zip line in rapids
during river crossing
- Ran out of camera batteries
- 3-liter Platypus-brand water bladder ripped open
- Hole worn in toe of Vasque hiking boot
- Seam separation on Sportiva hiking boot
- Hiking pole broke in half during fall
- Two tarps shelters leaked
- Piezoelectric stove igniter failed
- Piezoelectric lighter igniter failed
- Crock sandals melted near fire
- Wool socks burned near fire
- Debilitating stomach illness exhausted tripper for two days
- Broken reading glasses
- Trippers near hypothermic due to 48 hours of rain
- Trippers cold around camp due to lack of warm layers
- White gas leaked from fuel cell into pack
- Topo map lost, and recovered
- Two trippers ran out of compressed-fuel canisters
- Non-locking blade in pocket knife folded onto finger causing a long,
deep laceration
- Stuff sack containing crampons, climbing rope, helmet, climbing
harness, ice rescue picks, carabiners, prusik loops, and slings fell
out of rear of sledge; recovered by sweep crew
- Multiple sledge rollovers from improperly packed cargo (heavy items
too high up)
- Cracked sledge
- Burned fingers on stove
- Coleman Peak I tank caught fire; complete stove failure; not field
repairable
- Sleeping pad fell out of sledge; recovered hours later by another
tripper
- Broken 2" sledge harness buckle; replaced with spare carried
by another tripper
- MSR simmerlite stove failure (center bolt anchoring legs/pot supports
fell out in stuff sack); repaired in the field
- Debilitating migraine headache
- 14 frost nipped fingers (lost feeling in finger tips for two weeks
after trip
- Plastic MSR pump housing cracked from minus 31 F temperatures, inoperable
and unrepairable
- Half dozen major gashes in brush guards on three sledges from severe
bushwhacking
- Flu-like illness forced one tripper to exit trip first morning
- Nalgene water bottle lost in deep snow
- Wrist compass lost
- No spare mukluk liners led to tripper's major discomfort
- Sledge trace hardware lost while bushwhacking, no critical backup
hardware forced improvised repair
- Cap on Nalgene bottle cracked and leaking from severe cold
- Tripper left trip early due to lack of insulating clothing
- Tripper left trip early due to stomach illness
- Tripper left trip early due to lower back injury
- While trying to find an easier route around a rugged, Canadian canyon,
a 4-person group became separated from main in-canyon group for several
hours
- Hiker became separated from main group in Canadian bush
- Two-piece fishing rod broke into five pieces from rugged bushwhacking
- Hiking boot sole delaminated
- Hiker unable to continue due to poor conditioning had to be evacuated
from remote Canadian bush
- Waist-belt pouch with one-day's snacks and lunch fell off waist
belt and not recovered
- MSR pump-to-fuel-bottle O-Ring leak
- Plugged MSR shaker jet
- 4-inch gash ripped in sledge hull
- Headlamp failure
- Broken snowshoe crampons
- Broken shovel blade
- Broken shovel handle
- Wood saw lacerated finger
- Beaver punji-stick ripped 10-gash in sledge
- Stump punctured and caved-in front of sledge
- Snowshoers broke though lake snowpack into slush and through snow-drifted
riverbank ice into water numerous times resulting in wet feet, 25-pound
snowshoes, and iced-up bindings, buckles, and sledges
- MSR stove temporarily inoperative due to plugged fuel line
- Belay loop broke on sledge
- Prescription glasses lost in snow and not recovered
- Tripper's vehicle spun out 180 degrees on the crown of an icy road
- Recently retroed aluminum sledge traces both broke in half
- Panel-loading zipper on butt pack on sledge waist harness accidentally
opened while trekking, resulting in the loss of an insulated jacket,
headlamp, hat, etc.
- Tripper's vehicle became stuck along edge of road
- Black bear circled camp
- Paddler forgot bailer and rescue throw rope
- Water filter became inoperative due to freezing temperatures
- Silva compass became inoperative due to a de-magnetized needle
- At end of trip, tire was nearly flat on shuttle vehicle; tire was
reinflated with portable tire pump
- GPS unit became inoperative
- Hiking boots got wet and froze solid
- Sun glasses lost on trail; recovered
- Wind shell parka with digital camera in pocket fell from sledge
twice; recovered both times
- Severe cold limited participant sledging on winter expedition
- Two hardware failures on homemade sledge required in-the-field improvisation
and repair on winter expedition
- Several items of essential equipment--water bottle, tent, sleeping
bag, etc.--fell from rear of sledge during winter expedition
- Wind-shell hat lost
- Intestinal problems and extreme fatigue ended winter expedition
early
- Broken ski binding had to be replaced in the field
- Windshell hat lost
- Minus-40 winter bag fell from rear portion of sledge and could not
be retrieved
- Bivy sack fell from rear portion of sledge and could not be retrieved
- MSR stove failure
- Leaking tarp soaked sleeping bag
- MSR stove failure
- Tripper cut finger badly clearing sticks from bivouac area
- Tripper lost Esbit Wing Stove and improvised another one
- Failure to double-check rations before trip resulted in shortage
of food during expedition
- Pine needle branch struck eye, just as glasses were being removed
late in the day, and eliminated tripper's use of eye for the duration
of the trip and the drive home
- Holes punched in organizer's pack allowed river water to soak certain
items of clothing and first aid kit while pack was moored for a half-hour
next to a large rock on the Agawa River
- Improper use of PIC bug coils started a smoldering, underground
fire that took a lot of work to dig up and put out
- Improper knot tying resulted in the permanent loss of one trekker's
hiking boot from outside of rucksack
- Failure to double-check rations before trip resulted in shortage
of food during trip
- Trekker's failure to come prepared, both physically and mentally,
resulted in a vehicle evac and trip being aborted within 24 hours
- OR Water Bottle Parka slipped from waist harness resulting in long
hike to retrieve it
- Broken ski pole
- Snowshoes fell off sweep sledge requiring hike back to retrieve
them
- Debilitating blisters on bottom of toes from mukluk system
- Broken shovel blade
- Broken sledge trace
- Organizer's cold turned into bronchitis during trip
- Trip participant came down with fatiguing cold on trip
- Point person broke through lake ice at shoreline spring
- Tripper's vehicle spun out and slid off snow-packed county road
while avoiding a logging truck's fishtailing pup; extracted with nylon
tow strap
- Trip-ending groin muscle injury
- Frostbitten hand
- New, unbroken-in boots bruised foot
- Inoperative stove
- Blistered feet
- Twisted knee
- Slip and fall resulted in severe, trip-ending trauma to rib cage
and chest
- Swimmer had difficulty crossing Agawa River due to swift current;
designated safety person assisted swimmer by finishing pack ferry
and allowing swimmer to swim through current
- Organizer got separated from group while reconning ridge parallel
to group travelling in a very rugged Canadian valley that split 3
ways; heavy rain limited audible search and made man-tracking impossible
- Group got well off course in extremely remote Canadian bush
- One of two GPS units malfunctioned in Canadian bush (only one is
normally carried)
- Shuttle vehicle got stuck in muddy section of seasonal county road;
extracted with nylon tow strap
- with darkness closing in, tripper on day-hike could not find way
back to isolated bivouac location; tripper's shouts were just barely
within range
- All layers of polypro got soaked with sweat and wet snow from wearing
too much while underway on trail and then not wearing wet layers in
camp to dry them out
- Near-catastrophic tent fire (holes melted/burned in roof) from cooking/heating/drying
with pressurized MSR stove inside North Face tent
- Extreme fatigue from lack of pre-trip aerobic training
- Trip-ending fatigue from lack of pre-trip aerobic training
- Broken ski pole
- Bad battery prevented vehicle from starting in cold weather
- Point person broke through rotten river ice, shallow water
- Slack (2nd) person broke through rotten river ice, deep water
- Snowshoe bindings/straps did not fit large expedition boots
- Trip-ending flu
- Tripper's vehicle slid off a state highway during nighttime snowstorm
- Huge blisters from stiff, new boots
- Giardia infection
- High winds caused ground fire with esbit stove
- Inadequate 3-season sleeping bag
- Fall on rocks resulted in deep cut in shin
- Trip-ending sprained ankle from unsupportive boots
- Invisible holes in tarp allowed water to enter rucksack during 200-meter
swim across lake
- Poison ivy infection
- Improper waterproofing soaked gear on river crossing swim
- Sleeping bag soaked by rain during night
- Lost compass
- No tarp to waterproof pack and float it across deep river
- Inoperable water filter
- Inadequate warm clothing
- Broke through rotten lake ice
- Irrepairable stove failure
- Broke through rotten river ice
- Near hypothermia from lack of required equipment
- Irrepairable stove failure
- Broken tooth
- Hypothermia
- Failed to pack enough rations
- Failed to pack required foul-weather gear
- Hypothermia
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Pulled quadriceps
- Hypothermia
- Broken tooth
- Debilitating tendinitis
- Hypothermia
- Trip-ending exhaustion
- Failed to pack required foul-weather gear
- Hypothermia
- Trip-ending exhaustion
- Failed to pack required foul-weather gear
- Trip-ending, blown-out knee (tendon damage), required surgery
- Trip-ending achilles' tendon injury
- Giardia infection
- Disoriented/lost after dark while venturing out from bivouac site
- Turned ankle from boots that were not all-leather or supportive
enough
- Disoriented/lost during daylight while venturing out from bivouac
site
- Severe heat illness
- Severe fatigue & exhaustion
- Disoriented/lost after dark while hanging food
- Diarrhea
- Severe headaches
- Numerous stove failures
- Numerous water filter failures
- Severely dislocated finger, required surgery
- Trip-ending flu
- Blistering, 2nd-degree burns
- Severe headaches
- Severe fatigue & exhaustion
- Soles of feet bruised so badly from lightweight boots that tripper
could hardly walk
- Numerous stove failures
- Numerous water filter failures
- Broken arm
- 2 near drownings
- Deep cut across palm-side of all four fingers, required stitches
- Severe heat illness
- Severe hypothermia
- Dislocated shoulder
- Torn thigh muscle
- Immobilizing back injuries
- Lost after dark without backpack
- Frostbite
- Sea sickness
- 2 cases of giardia
- Flu
- Colds
- Severe fatigue & exhaustion
- Panic attacks
- Sprained ankles
- Falls through rotten river and lake ice
- Blisters
- Menacing/charging-- bear, moose, wolf, coyote
- Loss of all food to a mother bear and two cubs
- Stove and water filter failures
- Punji stick pierced instep of leather boot and impaled foot
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In God's wilderness
lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.
John Muir, 1838-1914, Alaska Wilderness, 1890
If
you've been able to read this Web page...
thank a Teacher;
If you've been able to read this Web page in English...
thank a Veteran.
Author
unknown
Copyright notice
Content Copyright 1984 to 2010
By Michael A. Neiger
All rights reserved
No part of this Web page or this Web site protected by copyright
law may be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any form--including
graphic, electronic, Web, mechanical or other form--or by any
means--including photocopying, recording, taping, Internet distribution,
information storage retrieval system, or by other means--for
any purpose, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages,
without the prior, express, written permission of the author.
Comments? Suggestions?
Dead links? Inaccurate info?
Contact the WebMaster, Michael A. Neiger, at mneiger@hotmail.com
Web site
URL: www.MibSAR.com
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