Funeral arrangements set for man killed in caving accident

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December 17, 2009

By HEATHER PYLES, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Thu Dec 17, 2009, 09:10 PM EST

Somerset — Funeral arrangements have been set for a young man who died after falling in a southern Pulaski County cave on Wednesday.

Steven Troxell, 21, of Somerset, died Wednesday afternoon after he slipped and fell into a steep 60-foot pit while exploring a cave in the Sloans Valley cave system in southern Pulaski County.

Troxell and two companions, 21-year-old Brooke Butt and 26-year-old Brandon Butt, all three “inexperienced” cave explorers, according to officials, had entered the greenhouse entrance of the Sloans Valley caves around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

The accident happened between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Rescue team members were called to the site by 3 p.m. 18 rescuers entered the cave and searched for Troxell for two hours, emerging at approximately 5 p.m. to strategize. It was then that Brandon Butt agreed to reenter the cave — deemed a “treacherous” one by officials and unsuitable for inexperienced explorers — with the rescuers to help locate Troxell.

It wasn’t until 7 p.m. when Troxell was found, and rescuers were unable to get him out of the cave until approximately 10:30 p.m. It was then that Pulaski County Coroner Richard New pronounced him dead from blunt force trauma injuries, though officials confirmed that he was deceased by the time rescuers reached him in the cave.

Troxell had only been in that cave once before Wednesday’s incident, and Troxell’s mother, Rita Troxell said she was surprised her son had even gone into the cave. She told media on the scene that he loved racing, specifically dirt track racing, according to his obituary, and he enjoyed making late models with popsicle sticks.

Funeral services for Troxell will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Lake Cumberland Funeral Home, and visitation is set for today at 6 p.m. at the funeral home.

A complete obituary for Troxell is available on page 3 of today’s edition.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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