Young Girl Survives Serious Injuries After Fall in Jewel Cave

Visitors in the Target Room of Jewel Cave. Photo via NPS

A three-year-old girl from Utah sustained serious injuries after she fell off a platform while on a tour at South Dakota’s Jewel Cave National Monument on May 28th.

The girl had just been put down by her mother after they arrived at the top of one of the caves elevated platforms, when the young girl immediately ran towards a railing and somehow fell though.

Her 18-year-old brother witnessed the fall but was unsuccessful in catching her.

After coming into contact with an outcrop on the angled wall, the girl slid under the platform, hitting rocks along the way, until she came to a rest on the cave floor some 5 meters (17 feet) below.

Brought to the surface by her father and park staff, the girl was first attended to by park EMTs before being transported to Custer Regional Hospital by ambulance.

Suffering from a basal skull fracture, a broken nose, cheekbones and jaw, as well as many abrasions and lacerations, she was later taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital, the nearest Level 2 trauma center, by Life Flight helicopter.

Despite her severe injuries, only a few days later, on June 1st, she was released from hospital, expected to make a full recovery.

Young Girl Seriously Injured In Fall [NPS Digest]