When Laura Trowbridge, a 22-year-old student from London, decided to take part in a television documentary, she had no idea what an ordeal it would become. Otter Hole, a 2-km long cave where the documentary was being shot, is located on the west bank of the River Wye and has a reputation for being dangerous. As an experienced caver, Laura was well aware of the risks, but no matter how careful you are, accidents do happen.

Deep inside the cave, Laura slipped, fell 7 feet from a ledge, and seriously injured her leg. There was no way she could make it out of the cave on her own.

Heavy rains in the area made the situation critical. Part of the rescue route had been flooded and volunteer rescuers, who arrived at the scene very quickly, could do nothing but wait for the water level to drop. Only then were they able to enter the cave. Laura was carried 750 meters on a stretcher back to the entrance of the cave. Paul Taylor of Gloucestershire Cave Rescue said that Laura was really patient and calm during the ordeal so the rescuers’ job was much easier.

It was very tight in the cave, and the mud made movement difficult. The rescue team made a superhuman effort in very difficult conditions. The biggest challenge was the narrow tunnel in the section near the entrance. Laura was given painkillers and often had to be taken off the stretcher. Just imagine, the last ten meters took more than two hours to complete! Sam Moor, another of the rescuers, said that the jokes and witty banter kept spirits high. In his opinion, you have to laugh and joke in such critical situations so as to keep people less stressed.