Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 3, 1993 TAG: 9308030214
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
DeVary, 22, was carried out of Porter's Cave Sunday morning, 16 hours after a giant boulder tumbled on him, breaking his left ankle, right leg and right shoulder.
DeVary, who had been exploring the cave as part of a seven-member group, had nearly reached the back of the cave when he sat down on the rock to wait as others climbed single-file along a ledge.
"The rock was just so big, I didn't think there was any way it would move," he said from his bed at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Suddenly, the rock began shifting and DeVary was tossed 15 to 20 feet to the ground.
"I actually beat the rock down and it fell on top of my leg," he said. Moments earlier, some of his fellow climbers had used the rock to steady themselves as they climbed down to the cave floor.
Fortunately, one of the leaders of the cave exploration was an emergency medical technician who quickly stablized DeVary.
Four people stayed with him, while two began the three-hour trek out of the cave for help. The first people they saw, DeVary said, were other cavers, including some with expertise in rescues.
DeVary said he was grateful for the 134 cavers from around the region who mobilized the rescue effort.
"The rescuers were really great," said DeVary, a student at John Tyler Community College in Chester. "I owe a lot to them."
Saturday's trip was the first caving expedition for DeVary who said he had only been underground for tours of commercial caverns.
He was also thankful that the group was prepared, wearing and carrying proper equipment for such an emergency.
His father, who flew from Indiana to be with his son, agreed.
"I just think God he's alive," said Roy Devary. "He's lucky. When he fell, he fell on his head. If he hadn't had that helmet on, it would have killed him instantly.
"I think God spared his life," said Roy Devary.
by CNB