NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
INCIDENTS
Indiana Dunes NL
Boy Rescued After Being Buried Alive
On the afternoon of July 13th, LaPorte County 911 and park dispatch received simultaneous calls reporting that a child had fallen into a hole near the top of Mt. Baldy. A seasonal resource management employee and two Student Conservation Association workers were on scene almost immediately and began digging. Responders from the Michigan City Police and Fire Departments arrived within 15 minutes, with others close behind.
The first officer on scene saw a group of people frantically digging into the north side of the dune about midway between the beach and summit. They told the officer that a six-year-old boy had fallen into a cylindrical hole and disappeared. The boy's seven-year-old brother said that they'd found the hole in the sand and wanted to see how deep it went. The younger brother disappeared below the surface after he climbed into the hole with the intent of standing in the bottom. The victim's father said that he could hear his son crying for help, but could not see him.
As the family members attempted to dig the boy out by hand, the hole collapsed and filled with sand. As emergency personnel arrived, digging continued with hands and shovels. One hour of continuous work resulted in a pit about 30 feet wide and eight feet deep, with no sign of the child. High heat and shifting sand hampered the rescue effort. While hand work continued, local contractors were called to use heavy equipment to move sand away from the site.
At the peak of the effort, the operation involved approximately 50 rescuers, including National Park Service rangers and firefighters and responders from several local agencies, plus two tracked excavators and a backhoe. Probes were used periodically to feel for anything solid. Heavy equipment and shovels were used if nothing solid was identified. If the probes hit anything firm, hand digging was employed.
Within about three-and-a-half hours of the initial call, an estimated 200 cubic yards of sand had been removed from the site. At about 8 p.m., rescuers found the head of the boy at a depth of 11 feet from the original dune surface. The boy, unresponsive when found, was upright with his body extending into a cavity in the dunes. It appears that he was in a decayed root ball or trunk from a long buried tree. The boy was placed in the care of the Laporte County EMS. En route to the hospital, he spontaneously regained vital signs. He was airlifted to Comer Children's Hospital of Chicago. At last report, the boy was recovering.
The response to this incident is a testament to the cooperative relationship between the park and local authorities. Interest in this incident is high and the public affairs officer has received calls from as far away as the United Kingdom. Evidence at the scene supports that theory that the boy encountered the remains of a tree buried long ago by the advancing dune. As the tree decayed, it left behind a shell of compacted sand and bark remnants. The boy possibly slid down the void left by the decaying trunk. Resource management staff had been on the same spot earlier in the day and saw nothing unusual. More than 150,000 people visit Mt. Baldy every year and there are no recorded incidents of this having previously occurred.
The Mt. Baldy area of the park is now closed until the park can accomplish a thorough review of the event and a safety assessment of the dune
[Mike Bremer, Chief Ranger]
Grand Canyon NP
Several Visitors Injured By Lightning Near Mather Point
A lightning strike near Mather Point resulted in several visitors reporting injuries to the Grand Canyon Visitors Center early on the afternoon of July 15th. The visitors were standing near the rim when the lightning strike occurred. Four of them were transported to the South Rim Clinic for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries.
This incident is a reminder that summer storms in the southwest are often accompanied by dangerous lightning. Serious injuries and fatalities have occurred at Grand Canyon National Park in the past as a result of lightning strikes. Visitors to the park were reminded that if the sound of thunder follows a lightning flash within 30 seconds or less, they should seek shelter in a building or vehicle or proceed to the nearest bus stop to get on a park shuttle. Park rangers also advised that lightning can strike 10 miles across the canyon.
[Public Affairs Office]
Isle Royale NP
Minnesota Man Dies In Diving Accident
On the morning of Saturday, July 13th, a recreational SCUBA diver exploring the HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Kamloops" SS Kamloops shipwreck at Isle Royale National Park was fatally injured in a diving accident.
At approximately 11 a.m., L.K., 55, of Wyoming, Minnesota, was diving in a party of three on a charter SCUBA trip to the park operated by Isle Royale Charters, Inc. Soon after descending to their target depth, his two partners noticed that L.K. was experiencing an unknown difficulty. They attempted to assist him but were forced to send him to the surface alone after he became unconscious. He was spotted by the boat crew and was brought aboard unresponsive and not breathing.
Park rangers responded to the incident after receiving a distress call on marine band radio from the charter company vessel Lake Superior Diver. Kroshn was declared dead at the scene by ranger/EMTs. Rangers are currently working with the Keweenaw County medical examiner to determine a cause of death and to investigate the circumstances of the accident. Superintendent Phyllis Green has temporarily closed the Kamloops to diving.
The Kamloops is considered an expert dive due to the depths involved; most of the wreck lies below 200 feet. It is located approximately 300 feet from the north shore of Isle Royale near Todd Harbor.
[Richard Moore, Chief Ranger]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):
Katmai NP&P - Katmai National Park and Preserve recently partnered with the Alaska SeaLife Center and the Anchorage Museum's GYRE project to remove over 4500 pounds of marine debris from the beaches at Hallo Bay.
Centennial Office - On June 18th, the National Park System Advisory Board's Centennial Advisory Committee held its first meeting in Washington, DC. The meeting included remarks from Director Jarvis and a presentation from the Centennial Office.
Cabrillo NM - As part of its centennial celebration, Cabrillo National Monument is hosting a “monumental reunion” for all past and present employees and volunteers on Friday, October 11th.
Fire and Aviation Management - Winners in the 2013 NPS Fire and Aviation photo/video contest have been selected. There were 124 entries in total. Categories included aviation, NPS fire and aviation staff on the job, structural fire, and wildland fire.
Midwest Region - Midwest Regional Office is recruiting for a superintendent for Picture Rocks National Lakeshore. Closes: July 22nd.
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The Morning Report is a publication of the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, produced by the Office of Communications with the support of the Office of the Associate Director for Information Resources. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@contractor.nps.gov).
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