Arrowhead hunter dies in dig collapse

Arrowhead hunter dies in dig collapse
By Alan Reed, New Era Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, December 2, 2008 1:26 PM CST
A Clarksville man died while digging Monday for Native American artifacts in a cave between Pembroke and Oak Grove.

Christian County Coroner Dorris Lamb identified the victim as Devin William Peters, 42, of Clarksville, Tenn.

Randy Graham, director of the Christian County Rescue Team, said that Peters was in the cave with another Clarksville man when the walls of an excavation trench collapsed.

The second man was above ground and telephoned for help at 4 p.m.

Rescue and recovery personnel representing 13 agencies located Peters’ body at 8:15 p.m. and were able to extract the body 90 minutes later.

He said that Peters was found 8 feet below the floor of the cave, buried under 4 feet of earth.

“It was dry inside the cave, so rain and moisture didn’t have anything to do with it,” said Graham. “They had been digging in that area by hand for years. We’ve heard that from the property owner. A trench like that could collapse for a variety of reasons. There’s no telling what happened.

“The top of the trench was beginning to collapse before we got our shoring in place to dig, and that dumped more dirt into the trench,” he said.

The remoteness of the cave hampered rescue and recovery efforts. Graham said that rescue trailers had to be parked 300 yards from the cave, because of terrain and vegetation.

Rescuers unloaded their equipment, carrying it in by hand and with off-road vehicles. Graham added that Oak Grove Utility Service transported some shoring wood and equipment with one of their dump trucks.

At the field command post, Christian County Rescue Team Spokesman Rodney Boyce said that the team had to shore the trench walls before continuing to excavate the area to recover the victim.

Boyce said that the team is the only agency in Christian County trained and certified to perform a trenching rescue.

“We can’t use a backhoe or other equipment because it is too heavy. In cases like this, we have to shore the trench walls with wood and use air tools, just like we would with a building collapse,” said Boyce.

The small cave is located in the wall of a cliff, and is about a “mile or two” off of Howard Dickerson Road, according to Boyce.

Erosion in one cave wall showed rescuers digging in the trench, while the main opening filled with relief workers and assistants.

Graham said that despite cold temperatures, sleet and snow, rescuers stayed warm with the shelter of the cave with the warmth of portable lighting and through manual labor.

“We didn’t start to get cold until we were done,” he said.

Capt. Chris Miller of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office said that the accident was not under any criminal investigation.

Lamb said that his office ruled the death accidental and had no ongoing investigation.

“It was a collaborative effort with a lot of dedicated and highly trained professionals, and it showed in how this operation was carried out,” said Graham.

More than 70 workers and 13 agencies responded to the accident.

With the Christian County Rescue Team, Oak Grove Utility Service and Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Graham thanked the Oak Grove Police Department, Christian County Ambulance Service, Todd County Rescue Team, Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department, Highland Volunteer Fire Department, Hopkinsville Fire Department, Oak Grove Fire Department, United States Army, Salvation Army, American Red Cross and civilians who gave their time to the effort.

ALAN REED can be reached at 270-887-3240 or areed@kentuckynewera.com.

http://www.kentuckynewera.com/articles/2008/12/02/news/free/doc49348ea2b0417100378808.txt