cjbottaro/gist:8378583

## gistfile1.txt
Climber was on Bird Dog, had the last bolt clipped and was trying to figure out how to clip the chains.  He was experimenting with different beta and tried to go a little left, about 2-3 ft left of the bolt.  He didn't like it, and started to down climb, lost his footing and fell.  Since he was off to the left, he was pulled to the right when he fell, and rolled backwards off the right side of the ledge.  He was pretty much upside side down when the rope caught and he slammed into the rock back first.  Because it was a pendulum fall, he swayed back towards the left, and hit the back of his head on the rock below the ledge.

After examining his head, I decided he needed a few stitches, so we packed up our stuff and started to walk out.  He complained of loss of vision, ringing ears and trouble standing, at which point he lay down and I called EMS.

He was taken to Brackenridge and released after 2 staples and a CAT scan.  All is well, Dr's said he's fine and can continue climbing when the staples heal.

About the fall.  I keep climbers pretty tight on these short climbs, there is no "U" and not even a "J" in the rope.  I was, however, feeding him slack as he down climbed to the ledge.  He also pulled me a few feet forward when he fell.  That combined, with being a few feet to the left of the bolt is the reason why he fell below the bolt, despite being (vertically) right at it.  We determined the actual cause of the fall, was that as he was down climbing, he thought his foot was on the main ledge, so he let go with his hands, fell about a foot to the ledge, tripped as he stumbled and fell backwards off the right side of the ledge.  He fell from the last bolt, about down to the second to last bolt.

One hour prior the fall, we were shopping for helmets, but didn't find one that fit.

Thanks to everyone that helped out (the people treating him and the EMS flagger)!  Such a great community we have!
	Climber was on Bird Dog, had the last bolt clipped and was trying to figure out how to clip the chains. He was experimenting with different beta and tried to go a little left, about 2-3 ft left of the bolt. He didn't like it, and started to down climb, lost his footing and fell. Since he was off to the left, he was pulled to the right when he fell, and rolled backwards off the right side of the ledge. He was pretty much upside side down when the rope caught and he slammed into the rock back first. Because it was a pendulum fall, he swayed back towards the left, and hit the back of his head on the rock below the ledge.

	After examining his head, I decided he needed a few stitches, so we packed up our stuff and started to walk out. He complained of loss of vision, ringing ears and trouble standing, at which point he lay down and I called EMS.

	He was taken to Brackenridge and released after 2 staples and a CAT scan. All is well, Dr's said he's fine and can continue climbing when the staples heal.

	About the fall. I keep climbers pretty tight on these short climbs, there is no "U" and not even a "J" in the rope. I was, however, feeding him slack as he down climbed to the ledge. He also pulled me a few feet forward when he fell. That combined, with being a few feet to the left of the bolt is the reason why he fell below the bolt, despite being (vertically) right at it. We determined the actual cause of the fall, was that as he was down climbing, he thought his foot was on the main ledge, so he let go with his hands, fell about a foot to the ledge, tripped as he stumbled and fell backwards off the right side of the ledge. He fell from the last bolt, about down to the second to last bolt.

	One hour prior the fall, we were shopping for helmets, but didn't find one that fit.

	Thanks to everyone that helped out (the people treating him and the EMS flagger)! Such a great community we have!