Heartbreaking final words of man who died ‘most horrifying way imaginable’ after failed rescue
The last words of a man who died in one of the ‘most horrifying ways imaginable’ shed light on his commitment to helping and caring for others.
John Edward Jones was a 26-year-old student at the University of Virginia School of Medicine who went caving with his brother Josh and nine others in November 2009.
The party headed to the Nutty Putty Cave, located west of Utah Lake, which previously attracted both amateur and professional spelunkers.
Wanting a challenge, Jones, who was studying to become a paediatric cardiologist, peeled off from the main party with a handful of others with hopes of stumbling across the infamous ‘Birth Canal’.
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Instead of finding the narrow cave, the six-foot man ended up being ‘swallowed’ into a 10 by 18-inch fissure instead, according to his sibling.
Realising his brother was stuck, Josh returned to the service to get him help.
What were John Edward Jones' last words?
Local rescue volunteer Susie was reportedly one of the first on the scene, meeting Jones after tying ropes to her feet and inching her way down the tunnel, as per the Mirror.
The father-to-be, who had already been trapped for three hours at this point, reportedly greeted Susie and said: “Thanks for coming but I really, really want to get out,” The Salt Lake Tribune reported in 2018.
“I'm going to die right here. I'm not going to come out of here, am I?” he continued.
Rescuers worked tirelessly for 27 hours to free Jones from the fissure, with one even using a jackhammer to shatter the rocky trap.
While still conscious, Jones reportedly said to the volunteers: “It sucks. I'm upside down. I can't believe I'm upside down. My legs are killing me.”
The outlet also claimed that the father was worried about the volunteers hurting themselves during the extrication process.
When one was injured after a mishap with pulleys, he reportedly said: “Is he OK? I think he's really hurt bad.”
Expert claimed it was 'impossible' to save John Edward Jones
These, according to the publication, ended up being Jones' last words as he struggled to remain lucid from then onwards.
Active cave explorer and cartographer Brandon Kowallis, who was one of the last rescuers to aid the man, said that he was ‘in and out of consciousness’ when he arrived on the scene.
Recounting his experience in a blog post, he alleged the cave victim was ‘talking about seeing angels and demons around him’ and that he’d begun gurgling, as if fluid was filling his lungs.
Unfortunately, Jones’ unconsciousness made it ‘pretty much impossible’ for him to get out of the gap.
Kowallis continued: “Even if we could get him into a horizontal position, he would then have to manoeuvre the most difficult sections of the passage he was trapped in.
“If he were conscious and had his full strength, there was a minute chance he could possibly do it. But even if that was the case, it looked grim.”
He added: “To get a 210-pound, unconscious person out seemed pretty much impossible.”
John Edward Jones' family said goodbye before he died
During a reprieve from efforts, Jones’ family members had the chance to say their goodbyes via a radio broadcast.
Among them was the Utah man’s pregnant wife, Emily Jones-Sanchez, who reportedly told her husband that ‘everything would be OK’.
Unfortunately, paramedics later pronounced the man dead, citing cardiac arrest brought on due to pressure from being upside down in the narrow passageway.
Experts deemed it too dangerous to recover Jones’ remains, instead deciding to seal his body in the Nutty Putty Cave using controlled explosions.
His family and friends have since made the site into a makeshift memorial. A plaque has been placed for visitors to pay their respects.
Topics: US News, World News
Ella Scott