Girl Who Fell In Cave Doing Better

The condition of a 15-year-old girl who fell into a cave near Mountain Home has improved, but she remains unconscious.

Carlye Lemke fell 30 feet into Eureka Cave on March 1. She was at a party with about 12 other people. Most of those youths fled, apparently to avoid arrest for drinking.

Her father, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Craig Lemke, said doctors took Carlye off a respirator machine Friday and she is breathing on her own.

“She is not conscious, but she is showing some improvement,” Lemke said. “I haven’t talked to the kids who were out there. I’ll sort that out later.”

The Mountain Home High School sophomore suffered a fractured back, a ruptured disc in her neck and a serious head injury that caused brain swelling. She was in a doctor-induced coma to help the swelling.