Woman Falls to her Death at Rock Climbing Gym
A woman is dead after falling at a local rock climbing gym on Sunday. Emergency crews were called to the Summit climbing gym located on Mustang Drive at approximately 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. According to Sgt. Robert Eberling of the Grapevine Police Department, emergency responders arrived and discovered am injured customer, a 52-year-old woman, had fallen from a height of 25-30 ft.
The woman was airlifted to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. The Dallas County Medical Examiner has released the identity of the victim as 52-year-old Susan Mailloux of Irving.
At this time, it is uncertain if Mailloux had been using a safety harness at the time of her fall, but police are investigating. Kyle Clinkscales, the owner of the facility, told reporters, “We are heartbroken for this tragic accident. Our hearts go out to her and her family.”
Rock climbing is becoming more and more popular every day. Rock climbing gyms offer a place to have fun and a great way to build endurance and strength. However, because of poor regulation, maintenance and design issues, climbing wall accidents at such rock climbing gyms and features are happening with greater frequency as the sport’s popularity grows.
In a recent study conducted by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) the rock climbing injury statistics for people of all ages from 1990 through 2007, of the more than 9,000,000 individuals rock climb annually, more than 40,000 people were injured and required emergency medical attention due to a rock climbing accident. The study didn’t distinguish between indoor or outdoor rock climbing injuries, but it is estimated that the majority of climbing currently occurs in an indoor setting
Some of the most common rock climbing injuries are:
- Failure by climbers to wear any sort of protective gear or harness.
- Failure of ropes, bolts, chains, slings, clips, anchor points, climbing hardware, or any other component of the climbing wall structure
- Climbing wall falls
- Hitting rock structures and projections
- Cuts and abrasions from simulated climbing surfaces
- Entanglement, rope abrasion, or other injuries
- Falling climbers or dropped equipment causing injuries to climbers below
Rock climbing walls can be dangerous. Some indoor rock walls are as high as forty feet in the air and others offer climbs across ceiling structures. When you make a climb at such facilities, you are not only putting your trust in the harness and ropes holding you, but also placing a great deal of trust on the strength and ability of the person or persons who are managing the rope systems. There is also a great deal of trust that is left to the strength of the structure and design of the rock climbing wall itself. It’s not just kids or novices getting hurt in such instances. Even veteran rock climbers can suffer catastrophic injuries or death.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed as a result of rock climbing or other extreme sport, give our offices a call. We will match you with an attorney who will go over the details of your case, after you have seen a doctor. Medical costs, rehabilitative therapy, loss of wages, pain and suffering can all factor into a personal injury case. We have been successfully representing our clients in the Dallas – Fort Worth area courts for many years. We are here to help you. Your initial consultation with us is confidential and without cost to you.
