Teenager Yanked Off 45-Foot Cliff Newman Lake Boy May Be Paralyzed After Partner Falls, Pulls Him Off Ledge

A Newman Lake teenager may never walk again after he tumbled 45 feet off a cliff while rock climbing over the weekend at a popular Post Falls park.

Jeremy Vetter, 18, injured his head, back and neck and may have severed his spinal cord in the fall at Q’emiln Park.

“It’s a horrible thing,” said Steve Reynolds, a climbing instructor with the Spokane Mountaineers. “It’s exactly the type of injury we hoped to avoid here.”

Members of the Inland Northwest’s climbing community say Vetter’s accident could have been avoided had he taken proper precautions.

But as the popularity of rock climbing booms, they say, the possibility of accidents increases.

“Seeing it done and doing it are two different things,” said Scott Turk, who witnessed the fall. “I’ve seen many people come awfully close to doing the same thing.”

That leaves authorities with troubling questions about how to adequately promote safety in an inherently risky, individualistic sport.

Dave Fair, Post Falls parks and recreation director, said city officials will discuss in the coming weeks what the accident means for management of the park.

“Either you regulate it, and have people out there watching all the time to make sure people know what they’re doing - really control it - or you continue to leave it open for public use and encourage people to be responsible,” Fair said.

Witnesses gave this account of the accident:

Vetter had just climbed a sheer rock face on Saturday and was seated atop a ledge, still hooked to his partner below by rope. His partner started climbing and fell, yanking Vetter over the ledge and down an 80-degree slope.

Vetter slammed into a trail below and bounced into the weeds beside a nearby creek. The partner fell a short distance to the ground, but was uninjured.

“The guy (Vetter) was just doing somersaults,” said witness Jason Clouse, who was about 10 feet away. “As soon as I saw his body coming down, I was running for help.”

Police said they believe the injuries may leave Vetter paralyzed.

He is in serious condition at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane.

Witnesses said Vetter had been tied into the cliff face with a 2- to 4-millimeter piece of cord, in only one place, while belaying his friend.

“That’s not what that stuff is made for,” Clouse said. “It’s utility cord, made for carrying stuff around. I can’t imagine hooking in with that.”

When Vetter’s partner fell, the cord snapped, and Vetter was pulled over the edge by the weight of his friend’s fall.

Typically, climbers will use 10.5-millimeter ropes or 1-inch nylon webbing to anchor themselves while belaying another climber. And they always should be anchored in more than one place.

Serious accidents are rare because Inland Northwest climbers generally are responsible, said Fair and Spokane County Parks manager Wyn Birkenthal.

But occasionally, inexperienced climbers find their way to popular spots like Q’emiln or Minnehaha in Spokane.

“Climbing can be pretty unsafe,” said Post Falls resident Steve York, a longtime climber who works at REI in Spokane.

“It’s a life and death sport, and if you’re not taking care, it can kill you.”

Climbers and authorities urged newcomers to the sport to seek out proper instruction before attempting to climb.

“If you want to learn, there are many places to go,” said Reynolds.

Outdoor gear stores in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, Wild Walls climbing gym and the Mountaineers in Spokane all have climbing classes, sometimes for free, Reynolds said.

“It’s a highly individualistic sport, but you have to learn it from people with experience,” York said.

“Ignorance is not bliss - it’s death.”

, DataTimes