Man injured in cave

The man, Paul Cartwright, was exploring the area with his wife and two children last Friday afternoon when he fell four metres down a steep and rocky embankment and landed on his chest. 

The fall punctured a lung, broke his ribs and left him with a facial laceration that required stitches.

At the time of the fall, he was investigating one of the region’s karst cave formations. 

With the help of his wife, Mr Cartwright managed to make his way up to flat ground after his fall, where emergency services were quickly called to assist just after 12.30pm on Friday, March 30.

Around the same time, South West traffic police were conducting patrols on Caves Road and were waved down by members of the public. 

A multi-agency rescue operation including local police, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Parks and Wildlife Service, State Emergency Service and St John Ambulance officers was immediately launched.

The man was carried on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance by State Emergency Service volunteers and was taken to Margaret River Hospital by a St John Ambulance crew.

Mr Cartwright was then flown to Royal Perth Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctors Service for further treatment at the hospital’s specialist trauma unit.

Seriously injured, Mr Cartwright was treated for broken ribs, abdominal injuries and lacerations to his face. 

The Augusta Margaret River State Emergency Services commended the flexibility of nearby local employers, who allowed their employees to help respond to the accident.

An Augusta Margaret River State Emergency Services spokesperson said that one of the experienced vertical rescuers was also working on a shift at Margaret River’s Drift Cafe when the incident occurred.

“Drift Cafe supported Dave to drop everything during a busy Good Friday lunch to attend the cave rescue in Boranup,” the spokesperson said. 

“Employers like Drift make our volunteers' lives so much easier.”