Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Charles Dorris fell 50 feet down an Iron County mine shaft in Nov. 5.
- He sustained substantial head trauma and is undergoing extensive therapy in St. George.
ST. GEORGE — A man who fell 50 feet down an Iron County mineshaft in November still faces a lengthy recovery, and his wife hopes the community will continue to show its support.
Bridget Dorris said her husband, Charles Dorris, was helping his neighbor investigate his mine claim in remote Iron County on Nov. 5. She said they had done this several times during the summer, but this time, Charles Dorris fell down a mine shaft.
Rescuers said it took two hours to reach Charles Dorris, who had "substantial head trauma."
"It's remarkable that he didn't get stabbed or punctured or hurt worse," Bridget Dorris said.
As it was, she said her husband still struggled to speak nearly 10 days later and remained at a St. George hospital as he received speech, physical and occupational therapies.
"His communication is really not all that great, but since it's been a little over a week, he's even kind of amazed the doctors, from my understanding," she said.
She said he had the best intentions in helping look into the claim.
"They just wanted to go out and kind of revisit the childhood and see if they could find the gold," she said.
She said her husband is a veteran of the Army National Guard and was prepared and knew what he was doing. She called what happened a "stupid accident."
"I don't want people to think he was stupid," she said. "He was also hoping that if he did find gold that we would be able to be financially taken care of and put our 10-year-old, 13-year-old and 21-year-old through school and provide for his family."
Bridget Dorris said it was unclear when her husband would be able to come home, but he would undoubtedly need railings and other improvements around the house. She also said expenses were piling up as she traveled daily from Cedar City to St. George to help her husband.
A GoFundMe* account had been set up to help offset those expenses.
She hoped the community would continue to help Charles Dorris, and she grew emotional as she thanked rescuers and those who had helped so far.
"I am truly grateful for those that helped and it's remarkable that he survived," Bridget Dorris said.
She asked for "any prayer, all the prayers, all the good vibes."
"God is good," she said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
