A juvenile was rescued safely and is recovering after a cave collapse at Lake Alan Henry that prompted a multi-agency emergency response Friday evening in Garza County.
Just before 9 p.m. Friday, Lubbock Fire Rescue received a mutual aid request from Garza County for a report of a juvenile trapped under a collapsed cave near the public campsites at Lake Alan Henry, according to a news release from LFR.
Lubbock Fire Rescue responded with both the Heavy Rescue Team and Dive Team.
Battalion 1 arrived on scene and established unified command with Garza County and Texas Game Wardens. The most effective access to the patient was from the shoreline. Utilizing both Lubbock Fire Rescue’s Dive Team boat and the Texas Game Warden’s boat, personnel and equipment
were transported to the collapsed cave.
The cave’s only exit was blocked by a large boulder that had collapsed. LFR’s Heavy Rescue Team immediately began breaking down the boulder to create a viable exit opening. While this work was underway, a rigging system was established to allow for the vertical extrication of the victim.
A harness was lowered to the juvenile, and Lubbock Fire Rescue personnel walked the juvenile through on how to properly put the harness on and connect to the rope system. The individual was safely removed from the cave and evaluated by Garza County EMS. Aerocare was requested as a precaution but was later disregarded.
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This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Youth safe after cave collapse rescue at Lake Alan Henry
