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EVANSTON -- An Evanston man who fell 185 feet down a Nevada mine shaft Wednesday died Friday morning. Now the recovery effort has been called off, leaving some family to wonder and wait.
Devin Westenskow, 28, was pronounced dead just before noon. He had been working on an oil rig near Battle Mountain, Nev. -- just a short distance from the mine which sits on Bureau of Land Management land.
Westenskow's extended family in Utah and Wyoming is heartbroken the recovery effort has been called off and some question if his predicament could have been prevented. They say he was an avid hunter and snowmobiler, and also a father of five.
"The saddest thing is to leave little ones behind," said Sherry Schnurr, Westenskow's aunt.
He came from a family of oil rig workers. He oversaw a crew of four on a rig in Nevada, working one week on and one off.
The previous week's crew had gone down in the mine shaft for several hours. Westenskow was exploring Wednesday with a friend when he fell, breaking his jaw and shoulders and puncturing a lung.
"His crew ran back to the rig and got some soft rope and took it upon himself to lower a man down," Schnurr said. "It's terrible to think he's been laying down there on that ledge in that hole, in pain."
Rescue crews, including a navy search and rescue team, were able to lower a camera down the shaft Thursday night. Around 8:00, they spotted Westenskow.
"The fact he put his hands up when the camera came down there, you wonder how much hope that gave him," Schnurr said. "You have to believe he was expecting to be rescued, and it didn't happen."
The last shot of Westenskow was at 3:00 Friday morning. He was breathing but not moving.
Friday night, officials called off the search saying conditions were too dangerous. Westenskow's aunt questions if more could have been done.
"I wouldn't have given up," Schnurr said.
Now Schnurr wants to know why the mine, built in 1895, was left open.
"It makes you wonder how many other holes are out there open in Nevada or anywhere else they do mining," she said.
However, in a post on KSL's Facebook page, Westenskow's sister said they are grateful for the efforts of rescuers and feel they did all that could have been done.
"We are all saddened by his death, but please know that the rescuers did everything that they could to save my little brother," said Misty Moesser. "The interviewers were not there at the scene and are not representative of how the family really feels.
"My parents and many other extended family were there and they feel that EVERYTHING was done that could have been. I am grateful to all the rescuers! They were really good to my family and my brother!"
Westenskow's immediate family also issued the following statement to KSL News:
"We offer our whole-hearted thanks to the assembled local, county and state law enforcement and volunteer search and rescue teams, as well as federal and military units, who participated in the rescue operation. We feel they did everything possible to rescue Devin, but that there was no way to get him out alive given the extent of his injuries and instability of the mine shaft. We are forever grateful for their efforts."
Westenskow was engaged to be married. His fiancee said they weren't planning an elaborate wedding, but instead wanted to elope when the time felt right.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
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