Los Angeles News

RIVERSIDE Two people were seriously injured while rock climbing on Suicide Rock near Idyllwild during a pounding rainstorm, a fire official said Sunday.

The man and woman, in their late 20s and from the Los Angeles area, were on a route called "Captain Hook" at 12:30 p.m. Saturday when the man fell about 85 feet and hit the woman, said Idyllwild Fire Department firefighter Henry Negrete.

The man had critical head injuries, and was possibly in a coma, when he was flown to Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley, Negrete said.

The woman may have broken bones near her eyes, but regained consciousness as she was airlifted to a hospital, he said.

"He was the lead climber and he had led out some 80 feet without putting in any protection," said Negrete, who has been doing cliff rescues for about 20 years. "When he fell he hit his belayer and she fell into a pile of rocks."

Another climber found the fallen man wedged upside down between the cliff and a tree, Negrete said.

"He was already blue in the face, wasn't breathing," Negrete said.

"The other climber thought he broke his neck and he was dead.

The other climber "moved him a little, and he spontaneously started breathing."

A half-dozen climbers who were already at Suicide worked to get the injured pair down from the steep ground, while about a dozen Idyllwild and CalFire firefighters walked in a quarter-mile, Negrete said.

A CalFire helicopter crew lowered one team member and gear but had to retreat when marble-sized hail began battering the injured climbers and the rescuers, Negrete said.

"It was a tremendous storm with marble-sized hail," Negrete said. "It was a flash flood, basically, with rocks and logs, water one to two feet deep at the base of the cliff. No lightning strikes, though. We eventually carried both patients out."

The man was combative at times and appeared to be having seizures due to his injuries, but he never regained full consciousness, Negrete said. The woman did regain consciousness.

The two climbers were taken to a landing zone at a camp closer to central Idyllwild, and flown to hospitals, Negrete said. Both climbers were from Los Angeles County, Negrete said, though he wasn't sure of their hometowns.

"Captain Hook" at Suicide is rated 5.7 on a subjective scale, meaning beginners would likely find it difficult and experienced climbers may find it easy and fun, according to the Web site rockclimbing.com.

Whether the Los Angeles pair were on that route or another, Suicide Rock is renowned among many climbers for its quality routes.

"He was the lead climber and he had led out some 80 feet without putting in any protection," said Negrete, who has been doing cliff rescues for about 20 years. "When he fell he hit his belayer and she fell into a pile of rocks."Another climber found the fallen man wedged upside down between the cliff and a tree, Negrete said."He was already blue in the face, wasn't breathing," Negrete said. "The other climber thought he broke his neck and he was dead.The other climber "moved him a little, and he spontaneously started breathing."A half-dozen climbers who were already at Suicide worked to get the injured pair down from the steep ground, while about a dozen Idyllwild and CalFire firefighters walked in a quarter-mile, Negrete said.A CalFire helicopter crew lowered one team member and gear but had to retreat when marble-sized hail began battering the injured climbers and the rescuers, Negrete said."It was a tremendous storm with marble-sized hail," Negrete said. "It was a flash flood, basically, with rocks and logs, water one to two feet deep at the base of the cliff. No lightning strikes, though. We eventually carried both patients out."The man was combative at times and appeared to be having seizures due to his injuries, but he never regained full consciousness, Negrete said. The woman did regain consciousness.The two climbers were taken to a landing zone at a camp closer to central Idyllwild, and flown to hospitals, Negrete said. Both climbers were from Los Angeles County, Negrete said, though he wasn't sure of their hometowns."Captain Hook" at Suicide is rated 5.7 on a subjective scale, meaning beginners would likely find it difficult and experienced climbers may find it easy and fun, according to the Web site rockclimbing.com.Whether the Los Angeles pair were on that route or another, Suicide Rock is renowned among many climbers for its quality routes.

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