On 13 August 2020, a 45-year-old man was practising with his 15-year-old son at Les Gaillands climbing cliff when he fell victim to a serious climbing accident.
The man was insured by his son via a classic descender system and was descending in a top rope (rope passed through the belay) when the latter was forced to let go of the rope due to the heating of his hands.
As a result, the man fell nearly 15 meters (49 ft) and hit his head on the ground, as he was not wearing a helmet.
A doctor from Smur (Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Service) from the Hôpitaux du pays du Mont-Blanc, the PGHM of Chamonix and Chamonix firefighters intervened on the spot.
The helicopter on the PGHM of Chamonix evacuated the seriously injured climber to the Annecy hospital.
The deeply shocked son was taken to the hospital in Chamonix. They are both residents of the Paris region. "The difference in size between father and son must have played a role in the accident", said Stéphane Bozon, commander of the PGHM.
Source @Le Dauphine
