A Vanderbilt University student fell seriously ill three miles into a cave during a geochemical field trip, prompting a major rescue operation that lasted nearly nine hours. First responders from multiple agencies battled the challenges of cave rescue, including navigating through tight and difficult passages. Fortunately, by the time rescuers reached the student, they were in better condition than initially expected and were able to walk and crawl out with assistance, avoiding what could have been a multi-day rescue effort. All individuals involved were safely extracted from the cave by that evening.
"We were thinking it might be a multi-day rescue," said a spokesperson for the Hamilton County Rescue Squad, which responded to assist White County first responders.
"This would have been a tough carry out through small passages," the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Rescue Service said in a statement, "but the patient's condition had improved significantly. We were prepared to orchestrate an otherwise long rescue, but the patient was able to walk, and sometimes crawl out on their own."
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