Orefield Man Rescued After Fall Down Deep Georgia Cave

Dwight Kempf of Orefield was seriously injured Sunday after he slipped and fell down Ellison's Cave in Georgia, one of the deepest pit caves in the country, according to The Morning Call.

Kempf, an experienced caver, had already rappelled 586 feet and was walking on a horizontal passageway when he slipped and fell about 60 feet, the article said.

It took nearly 24 hours for a team of 80 rescuers to lift Kempf to safety on Monday, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Kempf suffered skull and femur fractures and was listed in critical but stable condition Wednesday in a Chattanooga hospital.

His wife, Jill, thanked the rescue team and the cavers who were with her husband before medical help arrived.

"This is an experienced group of cavers who consider every possible safety measure and have emergency plans in place before they begin," she was quoted as saying in the Inquirer.