Some question why ice cave was not shut down before collapse

SEATTLE -- One person was killed and five others were injured in the ice cave collapse Monday near Granite Falls.

Officials at Harborview Medical Center say their injuries include leg and pelvis injuries.

A 35 year-old woman was treated and released from Harborview but two men were still receiving care as of Tuesday night.

A 14 year-old girl and another person who suffered minor injuries were treated and released from Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

“What we are seeing are crushing injuries,” said Harborview spokesperson Susan Gregg.

A 25 year-old man in serious condition and the 35 year-old who is in satisfactory were lucky to avoid head injuries.

“When they all came in yesterday they were all awake and alert that’s all good signs,” Gregg said.

“Hope for the best for those involved feel really bad for the families,” Shoreline resident Erin Donohue Zink said.

Zink says her family was at the ice caves just a few hours before it collapsed. She says her family knew better than to go inside the cave. They like others could hear chunks of ice melting.

“Like a crack, like a plop,” Zink said.

A day before Zink's visit another scare.

A small portion of ice collapsed on Sunday with people inside the cave. That incident was caught on camera and posted on YouTube.
No one was injured during that collapse.

“It’s just melting ice it’s been 90 something degrees for however long,” Zink said.

Some are asking why the Big Four Ice Caves weren't shut down all together.

One of those people is Grace Tam's father. 11 year-old grace died in 2010 when ice the size of a truck tumbled down.

Grace was not inside the cave when the accident happened.

On Tuesday, her father told Q13 FOX News that Monday's tragedy could have been prevented if the Forest Service had shut the place down.

In response, the U.S. Forest Service said they did not want to completely shut down a popular tourist attraction. But they did say they put extra signage and barriers up to warn people of the dangers.