My opinion: With quick national publicity, some brave man or crew would have at least gave the rescue a thorough look, or a thorough attempt, to retrieve this man, long before he was considered to be dead or alive. 
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They made an attempt.
"Worley says rescuers tried to reach the man, who's about 190 feet below ground.
But she says the rescue was halted Friday because of the hazardous, dangerous conditions it posed to rescuers. She says the mine is so unstable that walls crumbled and rocks hit rescuers on the head when they tried to reach the man."
JamesComment -
Okay, that was their attempt! But some other authority might have had a better answer. Lot's of options could have been looked at. For one, a chance they could have knocked any loose stone off and had a possibility for something positive to occur. The least positive would have been a chance to retrieve his lifeless body.Comment -
You want to risk lives to retrieve a dead body? If he was alive and well they could do something with enough time. One life was taken because someone didn't close the well at all or enough to keep people out.
If it was me down there, once I'm gone, leave me. If you can get to me without much risk then go ahead but if not its not worth it.
JamesComment -
First hearing about this, very sad story.
The family stated they appreciated the rescue help and that they did all they could do, so can't really question it, but still find it ridiculous that they couldn't find a way to get him out.Comment -
Thats insane how can you live with yourself knowing that you are just giving up on a living human being... we have technology and the man power to save him...but they dont...I get its unstable but firefighters go in into houses that are unstable and on fire everday...they put their lives in danger to save people no matter what...and these people cant...what douches hahahaComment -
I would hope not. If I'm alive an well they do everything you can to save my ass. But still try not to kill anyone in the process. If I'm gone already and it is unsafe to get me I would hope they would know better then to have anyone risk there life to get me.
You have to understand, if the walls are coming down as the rescuers are trying to go down it can cause harm to them. Another problem is if they get 20 ft in and rocks fall they will be making a 170 ft drop. The guy had a 190 ft fall and now has rocks falling on him from up to 190 ft.
We don't bring up bodies from ship wreaks, why bring up this one?
JamesComment -
The body Flexin, the body. 99% of parents or spouses would at the least want their loved one buried. I think you overlooked that extremely important fact?
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From the newspaper today -
"Corey Schuman, owner of Gold Rush Expeditions, a company that locates and files claims on abandoned mines, questioned the decision to stop while Westenskow was still alive.
" I have no doubt we could have pulled him out without a problem," he said Sunday. "it's really not too dangerous. It's a lack of experience that causes problems. Nobody really trains for this and goes into abandoned mines. I have been down shafts 200 or 300 feet and it's not a problem."Comment -
Flexin you work for an insurance company or mining company, for ***** sake man.Comment -
How many bodies do you want down in that hole? I was down at moms place today and asked her about this. She agrees that if the mine is deemed unsafe it isn't worth risking the lives of others just for a body. If the body can be taken out safely then I'm all for it. Get the guy in Dep78's newpaper to get him.
My mother pointed out that there was a mine here that caved in in 1992 (In Nova Scotia where I live). 26 men died. 15 bodies were recovered then the conditions got worse. 11 men were left in the mine. And they sent in people trained in mine rescues.
I went to firefighters school. I want to become a career firefighter and have a interview this month to try to become a volunteer firefighter for my community.
JamesComment -
US man falls into deep mine shaft, left to die
Updated: 2011-03-07 07:19
RENO, Nevada - A man has died after falling into a mine shaft so deep and treacherous that rescuers had to abandon efforts to reach him while he was still alive, officials said Saturday.
<table style="border: 0px none rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 80px; height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="min-height: 16px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" align="middle" valign="center"></td></tr></tbody></table>Devin Westenskow, 28, worked at a geothermal drilling operation in Nevada and had gone exploring Wednesday with two friends during his off-hours when he fell 190 feet (58 meters) into the open shaft northeast of Reno, authorities said. His family thanked rescue workers in a statement.
In this undated photo provided by Denise Westenskow, the subject's mother, Devin Westenskow, 28, of Evanston, Wyo. is shown. [Photo/Agencies]
"We feel they did everything possible to rescue Devin, but that there was no way to get him out alive given the extent of his injuries and instability of the mine shaft," the statement said. "We are forever grateful for their efforts."
The decision to end the rescue came after two unsuccessful attempts by search teams to descend into the shaft, where Westenskow was trapped in debris, said Doran Sanchez, a US Bureau of Land Management spokesman.
An attempt Thursday caused walls of the 100-plus-year-old shaft to crumble and rocks to fall on rescuers, he said.
"One individual was hit in the head by falling rock and it split his hard hat," Sanchez said. "You're talking about two of the best search and rescue squads in Nevada, and they finally determined there was no way they could safely rappel down."
Westenskow, a father of five children, was given his last rites Friday. He was pronounced dead at 12:30 p.m. that day, after the Pershing County coroner's office determined he had stopped breathing by reviewing images from a video camera they had lowered into shaft, Sanchez said.
Word of the death was not released until Saturday because there was no cell phone service in the remote area for authorities to stay in contact.
"The family feels that if Jesus Christ was buried in a tomb, it's good enough for Devin," his grandmother, Lois Westenskow of Layton, Utah, told The Associated Press.
The video camera showed he had been breathing early Friday but not moving and had suffered serious head injuries. Images taken Thursday night revealed he had been moving his hands.
The agency plans to permanently seal the shaft and several other openings in the area by Monday, Sanchez said.
Westenskow's parents were at the site during rescue efforts and kept updated on the situation, Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Gail E. Powell said.
JamesComment -
He is someone's family member. How more important do you need it to be?
"You're talking about two of the best search and rescue squads in Nevada, and they finally determined there was no way they could safely rappel down."
To of the best couldn't do it. They don't care who it is, thats what they train for. They did try.
"One individual was hit in the head by falling rock and it split his hard hat," Sanchez said.
How would any of the conditions change if it was the Pope?
Trust me. I wish they got him out of there alive. They couldn't do it. I really wish the mine shaft was sealed off so he wouldn't have went in there to fall down in the first place.
JamesComment -
You do realize that there are 41 bodies just on the north side of Everest right?
"<small>Breashears describes how it took a team of 12 people eight hours to move the body of one dead Taiwanese man down a portion of the mountain. The high altitude, low oxygen, fierce winds, and intense cold make the trip extremely challenging even for an unencumbered person, so few climbers attempt to take the bodies of the deceased back with them."</small>
If the conditions are unsafe they leave bodies there. There are many ship wrecks that are registered grave sites. The Titantic is one and so is the sister ship to the Titantic which my uncle dove on.
James
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My condolences to the family, I feel for the kids, that sucks.Comment -
the fact that the family was so grateful says it all folks.. this must have been an impossible situation..
it's heartbreaking.. but hopefully technology and or training will be developed to deal with scenarios like this in the future..
all we can do is try to do better tomorrow..Comment -
Not much point risking other lives in an unsafe mine just to retrieve a body.Comment -
i think you might be a little confused wiggums.."no man left behind" is one of the most recognized military quotes of all time along with semper fi, et al.
he meant, no man left behind doesn't apply as this guy was left in the shaft to die because of said reasons in the article, obviously it's sad that there are now 5 kids that are fatherless and also 'left behind'Comment -
Sad story.Comment -
Lot of people assuming alot of things in this thread with zero understanding and knowledge about search and rescue operations. #1 is to keep the rescuers safe, regardless of who the individual is they're searching for. And just because it is your opinion that this guy deserves a "proper" burial means absolutely nothing. I guess these rescuers are lucky that you're not running the show but then again, if you were, you would have different opinions.Comment
