A Hopkins student was rescued by fellow students and an unaffiliated bystander after being pinned by the knee and trapped in a cave on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
While on a cave exploration trip with the Johns Hopkins Outdoors Club (JHOC) to Schetromph cave in Washington county, junior Wren Tracy, crawled into a narrow location of the cave. His knee got stuck in a small hollow and pinned in place. After about 15 minutes, other students realized he was trapped and promptly called 911.
When professional firefighters arrived at the scene, they realized that the situation was not in their field of expertise and handed over the necessary equipment to Matt Hardy, director of Outdoor Pursuits, according to a report made by CBS Baltimore.
With the help of two other Hopkins students, who were certified as Wilderness First Responders, and a bystander who was at the scene, the group was able to chip away at the rock pinning Tracy's knee and free him from the cave.
JHOC, part of Hopkins's experiential education program, also offers other activities to students such as canoeing, climbing and mountain biking. This particular trip presented an experience to students that required a solid application of procedures they learned in training.
"The students responded very well largely because of the training they've received as First Responders," Tracey Reeves, Director of Media Relations, wrote in an e-mail to The News-Letter.
Tracy emerged from the incident unharmed. Reeves emphasizes the importance of acting fast in an emergency situation.
"As with any emergency situation, students, like anyone else, should be aware of their surroundings and use their best judgment to protect themselves," Reeves wrote. "And like with the JHOC group, they should call for help if they find that they need help with an emergency or urgent situation."
