This is a list of caving fatalities in the United States.

Between 1980 and 2008, there were a total of 877 incident reports involving 1,356 individual cavers documented by the National Speleological Society (NSS) in their annual publication American Caving Accidents (ACA). These incidents often involve multiple factors and injuries for the same caver that are each recorded individually. The most common incident was being unable to exit a cave, such as being stranded or lost, (54%) and the second most common incident was caver fall (24%), resulting in 74% of traumatic injuries. Of the 1,356 cavers rescued over the 28-year period, fatality occurred in 81 (6%), averaging 3 deaths per year.

List of fatalities DateNameCauseCaveLocationDescriptionReferenceFeb 13, 1925Floyd CollinsStarvationMammoth CaveMammoth Cave National Park, KentuckyFloyd became trapped for 14 days after a large rock fell on his leg, eventually dying of starvation and exposure.May 28, 1967Joe ChiaraFallBreathing CaveBath County, VirginiaJoe fell 50 feet and eventually died from concussion, a broken neck, and internal injuries.Jul 9 1967Charles RichterFireCarnegie CavePennsylvaniaThe tar-lined drainpipe entrance caught fire from 2 candles and Charles crawled through the pipe, into the flames. He died 3 days later from burns covering 59% of his body.Jul 26, 1967Charles Vaught & John MillerCO poisoningStaunton Quarry CaveVirginiaA dynamite blast 3 days earlier left dangerous gases inside the cave.Sep 4, 1967Douglas EvansFallVanishing River CaveNew MexicoDouglas fell 100 feet, eventually dying from his injuries. Mar 10, 1999Harold Allen (Hal) BuffordHypothermiaEllisons CaveWalker County, GeorgiaHarold became stranded under a waterfall on a rope while ascending a 440-foot-deep pit.Apr 6, 1999Robert CanadySuffocationHermit CaveOklahomaRobert became wedged at a constriction and was unable to free himself. Inadequate equipment and bad air contributed to this incident.Mar 16, 2000Paul David SnowburgFallBirds DropVirginiaPaul fell down the 150-foot entrance shaft and did not have a harness. Sep 30, 2000Joe IvyFallO-9 WellTexasJoe fell 40 feet from a rope while ascending and became wedged in a slot he was unable to free himself from.Feb 25, 2001Aaron StandageDrowningRedman CaveArizonaAaron became wedged in a crevice while travelling a flooded passage.June 2001Jeffrey Wayne YoungFall/jumpEarthquake 90 CaveTennesseeJeffrey either fell or jumped down a 70-foot pit while not wearing any caving equipment.July 4, 2001Sharn ClelandRockfallUnnamedLancaster County, PennsylvaniaSharn became pinned under a rockfall and during rescue another collapse killed him.Dec 15, 2001Dr. John MillerHeart AttackTumbling Rock CaveAlabamaWhile exiting the cave, Miller had a heart attack and struck his head after sliding down a slope. May 30, 2009Robert JonesDrowningBlue Springs CaveOrange City, FloridaRobert drowned while freediving.Nov 26, 2009John JonesCardiac arrestNutty Putty CaveUtah County, UtahJohn became stuck upside down in a narrow crevice and died 27 hours later from cardiac arrest.Dec 16, 2009Steven TroxellFallSloans Valley Cave SystemPulaski County, KentuckySteven slipped while climbing a 30-foot-deep pit, landing on his head.Jan 8, 2017Charles OdomDrowningEagles Nest CaveWeeki Wachee, FloridaJan 29, 2017Gregory WilhelmDrowningWaianapanapa Freshwater CaveMaui, HawaiiGregory swam with a friend in a cave using his cell phone as a flashlight but the reason for his drowning was not determined.Jul 18, 2018Said MarjaneDrowningEagles Nest CaveWeeki Wachee, FloridaSaid drowned while freediving. Nov 24, 2019Zhou MinDrowningManatee Springs Cave SystemManatee Springs State Park, FloridaZhou was pushed into a chimney by a strong current, becoming trapped.Jun 9, 2020Clyde Douglas (Doug) RorexDrowningHole in the Wall CaveMarianna, FloridaClyde ran out of air while diving solo. His computer profile showed he was stopped for about 12 minutes, indicating an event may have kept him in one place.Jan 21, 2021Thomas Brian EllisDrowningDevil’s Eye Cave SystemGinnie Springs, FloridaThomas was solo cave diving until losing consciousness due to the slider shut-off valve on the oxygen feed being accidentally closed.Oct 14, 2022Eric HahnDrowningRoaring River CaveMissouriEric exceeded his maximum operating depth while cave diving, resulting in oxygen toxicity.

See also

List of UK caving fatalities List of caves in the United States Caving equipment

References