this unexplored cave surrounded by secrecy and speculations intrigued three men to enter without proper preparation little did they know that their curiosity would swiftly turn into an unimaginable nightmare this is the devastating story of William Coughlin before we begin we need your help only 7% of our viewers have subscribed by subscribing liking this video and hitting the Bell icon you can help us create even more great content and keep up with our latest uploads your support also helps us reach a wider audience without further delay let's dive into today's video William Coughlin a 27-year-old environmentalist from Oak Forest Illinois loved the Great Outdoors his mother Marge often spoke of his special affection for wild animals working for the Federal Environmental Protection Agency Williams job reflected his deep desire to protect nature he spent much of his free time exploring the woods and waterways with his friends always on the lookout for new adventures caving however was a recent passion introduced to it by a friend he had once explored a small cave near his home igniting a fascination with the underground World despite their lack of experience and Equipment William and his friends had no trouble navigating that first cave boosting their confidence to tackle more challenging ones they had never heard of any caving accidents so they assumed nothing could go wrong determined to find a cave that would test their limits Williams friend James suggested a trip to Cave City in Kentucky this unique tourist destination offered both surface level attractions and a Labyrinth of underground caves among the many caves Buzzard's Roost cave stood out in the brochure for its promise of Adventure the cave was minimally developed and known for its deep drops and tight squeezes making it clear that this was not a place for beginners William usually stayed close to home so this adventure was a big step and their first organized caving trip that he was thrilled about the element of danger was part of the Allure they wanted the thrill of conquering a challenging cave something they could proudly share with others on Friday May 28th 1993 William James and Kevin traveled from Illinois to Cave City arriving on Memorial Day weekend while hundreds of people flocked to the surface attractions the trio focused solely on the miles of caves beneath them in Cave City they learned about two available tours the historic tour and the wild cave tour the historic tour was a guided walkthrough of accessible parts of the cave while the wild cave tour promised a more daring experience requiring crawling twisting and squeezing through undeveloped passages they opted for the historic tour first before the tour began they signed a release form a single document passed among them warning of the Cave's dangers and absolving The Operators of liability unfamiliar with the risks they trusted the guide and The Operators to keep them safe William and James were eager to enter the cave even after learning about the risks however their friend Kevin fely chose to stay above ground preferring to explore the local attractions they completed the historic tour with guide Dave Harden and then decided to take on the more challenging wild cave tour offered that afternoon along with four other participants they paid the guide to lead them on this daring Adventure before the tour began the guide asked everyone to sign another release form identical to the one they had signed earlier he handed out two handheld flashlights and instructed them to follow him closely navigating the cave in the same manner as the person in front he emphasized the importance of staying together and warned them of the tour's dangers even showing them the tight tunnels they would crawl through the guide made it clear that this tour would be far more dangerous than the historic tour almost to the point of dissuading them William and James brimming with confidence were undeterred they had been looking forward to this adventure for months and were not about to turn back despite their excitement the group was surprised by the lack of additional equipment seasoned explorers know that helmets extra food water and at least three light sources are essential for a cave of this difficulty yet they pressed on thrilled by the twists and turns of the passages adrenaline coursing through their veins the group navigated to the halfway point without incident finding the cave less complicated than they had expected hungry for more Adventure they hoped the second half would be more challenging encouraged by the guide they began their descent into the lower parts of the cave after crawling through a narrow passage they reached a 30ft hanging cable ladder with wooden rungs the guide called out instructions as they descended but the second ladder shorter at 15 to 20 ft posed more of a challenge due to its placement over a rocky outcrop after the group descended the second ladder the guide announced that the official tour had ended and they were free to explore nearby passages however he mentioned they were behind schedule and left them at the bottom of the ladder to make a quick phone call William intrigued by a passage he had seen earlier decided to climb back up the second ladder to explore James agreed thinking they might find an unexplored part of the cave William tired and frustrated found the ladder unsteady standing 6 ft tall and weighing around 220 lb he struggled to grip the rungs deciding to wait for the guide he took a break James suggested the other group members look for the guide who had been gone for a while eventually William decided to give the ladder another shot as he climbed his nerves got the better of him and halfway up he lost his grip and fell the fall was brutal he hit his head on a protruding Rock before landing heavily on the cave floor blood began to pour from a 2-in gash on on his scalp James in shock rushed to help his friend despite being conscious William was delirious and unable to make sense of his surroundings adding to the group's growing Panic James tried to calm William assuring him they would get him out safely when the guide finally returned he insisted they would need to climb the ladders and exit the way they had come in but William badly injured and Delirious was in no condition to climb the group feared for his life knowing that every moment spent in the cave reduced his chances of survival this infuriated James he argued with the guide insisting they needed a cave Rescue Team to get William out the guide however stood firm telling James that they and the group would have to work together to rescue William James suspected the guide wanted to avoid causing panic among the many visitors above ground at the attractions reluctantly the group agreed that their only option to get William out was to avoid the ladder and lead him through a narrow Corridor marked on the brochures provided by the guide this passage was never part of the adventure but had been previously mapped and explored they pushed and pulled and to their surprise they managed to overcome this first major hurdle the real struggle lay ahead navigating a narrow claer phobia inducing v-shaped passage the passage was rough and sharp making it difficult to get a good grip it required a belly crawl undulating up and down before taking a decisive turn to the left and downward William entered the tight passage head first his large frame barely fitting through he was nervous about getting stuck having just squeezed through the first time halfway through William realized he couldn't move any further gravity worked against him and soon he was yelling for help stuck horizontally with his arm pinned under his body the others tried pulling him but the more they tried the more stuck he became James could not believe the nightmare unfolding before his eyes for the second time desperately he used all his strength to push William out but this only wedged him further Williams position compressed his diaphragm and lungs making each breath a physical chore his breathing grew labored making gurgling sound the guide told James to go to the surface to get the cave owner and explain the situ situation James did but it became clear that the tour guide and the cave owner wanted to handle the situation without notifying the authorities realizing William would need significant mechanical assistance to be rescued the guide finally left to grab a medical kit and alert the authorities three crucial hours passed before medical and rescue Personnel arrived as they waited onlookers spoke of the 1925 death of Floyd Collins who had been trapped in a nearby cave drawing huge crowds and media attention James did his best to comfort William but was scared his friend might die stuck in that crevice Williams responses slowed until he was no longer answering and James feared the worst when rescue teams arrived they worked tirelessly to revive William confident they could get him out however his downward angle made the rescue even more challenging they used chemical heat blankets and heaters to protect him from hypothermia as the Cave's temperature dropped to about 44° F William's body filled the crevice making it impossible to access him above his shoulder The Rescuers helped the rest of the group leave the cave but James stayed with his friend the rescue crew set up a pulley system to pull William out but each tug caused him immense pain he started to moan and groan but the team didn't give up they spent all of Saturday trying to free him until tragically he was pronounced dead 17 hours after The Rescuers arrived it took another 7 hours to remove Williams body using ladders and ropes they brought him out at 2:30 p.m. on Monday nearly 3 days after he had first entered the cave Mike Swift the baron County coroner said William died of compressive and positional asfixia with a contusion on his head contributing the 10th us Circuit Court of Appeals found that the cave attraction owner had been aware of the risks but did not adequately warn the participants as a result Williams family was awarded damages for the tragedy recognizing that the waivers he signed were more an incitement than a warning of specific risks