A 49-year-old father of three in England died a week after suffering a tragic accident at an indoor rock climbing center. The father, Carl O’Keeffe, got stuck in an indoor cave on April 22 while visiting the Kong Adventure Centre in Keswick for a children's birthday party, according to People. His rescue took four hours, after which he was taken to a hospital. Unfortunately, he had sustained "severe crush injuries." O'Keeffe’s sister, Olivia Short, said the family is "broken hearted" in a heartfelt Facebook post.
An investigation is underway at the Kong Adventure Centre, a representative said, according to Sky News. A statement released by the rock-climbing center said the staff “tried to help the man and follow emergency procedures but it became apparent outside assistance was needed,” per People.
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The father of three was attending a birthday party when the accident occurred.
O’Keeffe, who lived in Lancaster, England, was reportedly attending a birthday party with his niece April 22 at Kong Adventure Centre in Keswick, per The Guardian. He was reportedly with four children when he slipped and fell inside one of the indoor caves and was unable to break free for several hours. Staff called for help around 3 p.m., the news outlet reported.
Staff had to take apart the climbing wall to get access to O'Keeffe. After a rescue that took several hours and involved police, fire and rescue, and an air ambulance, he was taken to the intensive care unit at Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle with “crush injuries,” The Guardian reported.
O’Keeffe died eight days after the accident because of the severity of his injuries.
He died around 3 p.m. April 30, according to a Facebook post his sister wrote. Short shared that her baby brother's injuries were too severe for him to recover.
“I have been with him since his accident in Keswick on Saturday 22nd April. he was taken to Carlise hospital intensive care with crush injuries. It became apparent that the injuries were severe and he would not be able to survive," she wrote. "He was then moved to a private room and I was able to stay with him so that he could die with some dignity. Adam was with me and Carl during those last days. He was my support and my rock, he helped me get through this unbearable time.”
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His family is heartbroken.
Family members shared in a tribute that the dad was applying to an astrophysicist doctorate program. "He had a brilliant mind and was in the process of applying to start an astrophysics PhD. He was fascinated by solar storms and had been predicting the one that happened this week while he slept. He spent years having the Nasa Hubble photos tattooed on to his arm,” they said, per The Times.
His family also expressed their grief at his loss, sharing, “He will leave a huge hole in our lives,” according to the news outlet.
O'Keeffe's sister's tribute on Facebook included some poignant words.
"At 3pm today I sat with Carl and said good bye forever. He was my baby brother and over the last few years became my best friend," she wrote. "I loved him dearly and we were in contact daily doing word challenges and exchanging weird facts of nature. I also got to spend alternate weekends with him and his children. I’m broken hearted. As are the rest of our family."
A representative for the rock climbing center released a statement about the father’s accident.
"On Saturday 22 April, a member of the public became stuck in the cave system at Kong Adventure. Staff tried to help the man and followed all emergency procedures but it became apparent that outside assistance was needed," the statement read, per The Guardian. "Fire crew, mountain rescue, cave rescue, paramedics and Kong staff then worked to extricate the casualty, who was taken to Carlisle hospital for further treatment."
A representative added, "Our thoughts at this time are with the family, friends and everyone involved," according to The Telegraph.
