Ohio visitor dies in Sloans Valley cave

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Edward Martin of Cincinnati died Saturday after falling nearly 30 feet while trying to exit a Pulaski County cave system through what is called the “Screaming Willies” opening. Photo courtesy of WLEX news

November 28, 2006

Rare fatality in southern Pulaski caves occurs after man falls nearly 30 feet

By SUSAN WHEELDON CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Tue Nov 28, 2006, 08:44 AM EST

BURNSIDE– — A caving experience became deadly for one Ohio man over the weekend in southern Pulaski County.

Edward Martin, 40, of Cincinnati, died Saturday evening after he fell approximately 20 to 30 feet in the Sloans Valley Cave System. Martin struck the floor of the cave and the wall with his upper body and head while trying to exit the cave, according to Jim McWhorter, chief deputy coroner of Pulaski County.

McWhorter said that 911 dispatch received a call at 6:36 p.m. Saturday evening reporting that an individual had fallen in the cave. McWhorter pronounced Martin dead at 9:21 p.m. that night at the scene.

The deputy coroner said Martin was one of a group of seven friends that had gone into the Sloans Valley caves together around 3:30 or 4 p.m. and at the time of the fall they were exiting the cave. He said the seven individuals decided to split into two groups; Martin was in a group of four who were exiting the cave through what is known as the “Screaming Willies” exit.

The location of the exit is 60 feet from the floor up to the outside and extremely steep, almost completely vertical.

McWhorter said the group was free climbing (that is, without ropes) and three of the individuals had gone up before Martin, who was following when he slipped and fell.

The group was reportedly familiar with the cave system. Martin had been in the Sloans Valley cave system himself previously. McWhorter said that according to Martin’s family, the late spelunker had been doing “this sort of thing” for 10 to 12 years.

An autopsy was completed yesterday afternoon; however, McWhorter did not have the results as of presstime and said that preliminary autopsy results the death prompted the incident to be ruled as an accidental death due to blunt force trauma to the head and neck area. The final autopsy results will come from Frankfort.

McWhorter said individuals come to Pulaski County almost every weekend from surrounding states to visit the cave system. Even this past weekend, two men from Pennsylvania were present, and tried to help attempt CPR on Martin.

McWhorter said he has known of individuals getting lost or injured in the local cave system, but to his knowledge, Martin is the only person who has been killed.

The Somerset Pulaski County Rescue Squad and the Tateville Fire Department assisted at the scene.

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