Jewel Cave |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Wednesday, January 27, 1999 Chief of maintenance Larry Dilts was hospitalized with an apparent heart attack on Sunday, January 17th. Dilts, who suffered the attack while at home, had an angioplasty on Monday and had a stint (support) placed in one artery. He is in the cardiac care unit of a hospital in Rapid City, and was reported to be in stable condition as of Monday evening. [Peggy O'Dell, Superintendent, JECA, 1/26]
Chief of maintenance Larry Dilts, who was hospitalized with a heart attack on Sunday, January 17th, has been released and is already back to work on light duty. Anyone who would like to call or write him to wish him well can reach Larry at either 605-673-2061 ext. 1227 or via Jewel Cave NM. [Peggy O'Dell, Superintendent, JECA, 1/27]
Maintenance mechanic and acting chief of maintenance Brian Evans, 38,
died of a heart attack on Friday, December 19th. He had worked at the
park for the past three years. No further details are currently
available.
Maintenance mechanic Brian Evans, 38, the park's acting chief of
maintenance, passed away unexpectedly of a massive heart attack on the
night of December 19th. Along with an extended family and friends, Brian
leaves behind his wife, J., and two sons, M.B. and R."B."B.,
a seasonal fee collector for the park. Brian was
relatively new to the NPS, having begun work at Jewel Cave in January,
2001, but was extremely enthusiastic about being a part of the agency's
mission and goals and had recently signed on as a new NPS fundamentals
instructor. Brian was well-liked and respected by the Jewel Cave staff
and his smile and positive attitude will be sorely missed. A memorial
service was held at Community Lutheran Church in Hill City on Saturday,
December 27th. The family suggests that memorial donations be sent to
Yeldez Shrine Transportation Fund for Children, P.O. Box 1066, Aberdeen,
SD 57402-1060 (this fund is used to transport parents and children to
the Shriner Hospital for treatment and provide for their lodging during
the hospitalization). Condolences may be sent to: Family of Brian Evans,
c/o Jewel Cave NM, RR1, Box 60AA, Custer, SD 57730.
A park law enforcement ranger living in an NPS apartment on Forest Service land in the city of Custer was rudely awakened by a loud bang from the apartment next door at 1 a.m. on September 12th. When he investigated, he found a green-haired, barefoot man lying on a bloody mattress in the apartment. When the man saw the ranger, he got up and fled from the apartment. Responding Custer County deputies followed his blood trail (the man had cut his feet when he kicked in the apartment door) to a nearby apartment complex. The man turned himself in at the sheriff's department and confessed to the break-in. Sheriff's department officers and rangers are jointly investigating the incident. [David Yim, Chief Ranger]
On May 28th, a family from Utah took a guided cave tour with their three-year-old daughter. Upon arriving at an elevated platform at the top of a set of stairs, the mother, who had been carrying the little girl, put the girl down and she promptly ran over to a railing and fell through, landing on an outcrop of the cave wall. Her 18-year-old brother witnessed the fall and unsuccessfully attempted to grab her as she fell. She then slid down the angled wall below the platform, impacting rocks on the way down, and fell a total of about 17 feet, landing on the rocks below. She was taken to the surface by her father and park staff, provided initial BLS stabilization by park EMT's, and transported by ambulance to the Custer Regional Hospital. She was then flown by Life Flight helicopter to Rapid City Regional Hospital, the nearest Level 2 trauma center. The girl suffered a basal skull fracture, a broken nose, cheekbones and jaw, and numerous abrasions and lacerations. On June 1st, she was released from the hospital and is expected to fully recover. The family stopped by the visitor center shortly thereafter to visit park staff. [David Yim] | |