L Roebuck
Technical Support
Caving
^V^ Just a caver
Posts: 2,023
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Post by L Roebuck on Dec 8, 2007 8:51:43 GMT -5
"Rock Solid" Friends To The RescueJohn Pless, News Channel 9 A Chattanooga man who was once told he'll never walk again after a near-death accident is walking, and even back on a job that calls for a lot of moving around. But getting there wasn't easy, and neither is paying for the doctor bills. So friends and strangers from around the country pitched in to help in a truly one-of-a-kind way. Rick Gattone came as close to dying as just about anyone can. He was caving in Marion County, lowering himself into a 50-foot deep pit, when the rope that was his lifeline malfunctioned. He fell 35-feet on his back and side onto rocks in a waterfall. That was in August, but four months later it's a much different story. Gattone had no idea why so many people were applauding his arrival Friday on a job in Harrison. Just to see him walk is truly amazing, but to see what happened next is amazing too. A crowd of people cheered "we tricked you, we tricked you, we fooled you!" Gattone thought he was just going to watch the installation of a whitewater mountain stream in a Harrison couple's back yard. It turned out he got a check for $20,000. "Just wow, I can't believe this is for me," Gattone said. The check is for his medical bills. Four-months ago he and a buddy went into Prior Springs Cave in Marion County when his rope malfunctioned. "All of a sudden, boom! I felt it let go and I had enough time to close my eyes," Gattone recalled. Within the blink of an eye his life changed when Gattone hit the bottom of the cave. Full Article
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Brian Roebuck
Site Admin
Caver
Caving - the one activity that really brings you to your knees!
Posts: 2,732
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Post by Brian Roebuck on Dec 8, 2007 11:34:49 GMT -5
That's really cool that all those contractors helped Rick out so much. Truly amazing story all the way around.
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Post by Brad Tipton on Dec 15, 2007 12:59:34 GMT -5
Yeah, contractors literally came from all over. Some came down from Illinois, Maryland and Indiana, I believe. I doubt Rick's insurance would have paid for the air evac, so the 20 grand should pay that bill off.
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Post by tncaveres on Jan 10, 2008 11:03:39 GMT -5
Yeah that should pay for it plus some of the other bills . My Lifeflight bill was just over $10,000 but my insurance paid for it . Glad to see he is back at work.
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