Family Files Suit Against National Parks Service

By Merylee Robbins

Published on September 01, 2005

Peter Terbush, a long time rock climber, was killed when the granite face of Glacier Point crumbled, causing a rockslide. Terbush and two other friends were climbing well below the point when the boulders came falling down on them. The two other climbers accompanying Terbush were injured in the accident, while Peter suffered a severe head injury that ended his life.

Upon examination of the crumbled cliff and the surrounding areas, experts determined that the cause of the geological instability was combined leakage from an overflowing water storage tank and a seeping bathroom sewage system. The drainage undermined the stability of the cliff, causing a dangerous situation for climbers. Peter's parents believe that the National Park Service should have been aware of the problem and either closed off the area, or warned rock climbers of the fatal danger. The Terbush's claim that the purpose of their $10 million dollar suit is to send a message to the National Parks Service to be aware of danger and to post warning signs.

Rock climbers feel that the lawsuit will further limit climbing in National Parks across the country due park officals' fear of more financially crippling lawsuits. Climbers have also expressed that they are at all times aware of the dangerous risks they are taking when they decide to climb. For them, fatal accidents like these are always a possibility, and part of the excitement of the sport.

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