Latest news with #KellMorris
CNN
2 days ago
- General
- CNN
A 700-pound boulder pinned Alaska man face down in a glacier creek for 3 hours
Anchorage, Alaska AP — An Alaska man who was pinned face down in an icy creek by a 700-pound boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with only minor injuries, thanks in part to his wife's quick thinking and lots of luck. Kell Morris' wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage. His second stroke of luck came when a sled dog tourism company that operates on the glacier overheard the 911 dispatch and offered up its helicopter to ferry rescuers to the scene, which was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles. Once rescuers arrived, it took seven men and inflatable air bags to lift the boulder off as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Morris, 61, said he realizes he is probably the luckiest man alive. 'And luckier that I have such a great wife,' he said Thursday. His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 120 miles south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department. Last Saturday, they wanted to avoid the big crowds that converge on the Kenai Peninsula community during holidays and decided to hike near Godwin Glacier on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said. Their trail was actually a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier. Morris said he noticed dangerous boulders, some weighing up to 1,000 pounds along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn't pass. 'I was coming back and everything, the whole side, slid out from under me,' he said. He said things became a blur as he tumbled down the embankment about 20 feet (6 meters), landing face down in the water. Then he immediately felt the boulder hit his back in what Crites described as 'basically an avalanche of boulders.' The way Morris landed, there were rocks under him, in between his legs and around him that caught the weight of the boulder, preventing him from being crushed, Crites said. But the massive rock still had him pinned, and Morris felt intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. 'When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome,' Morris said. His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal. Amazingly, she only had to walk about 300 yards to connect with 911 and relied on her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS coordinates to dispatch. A volunteer at the neighboring Bear Creek Fire Department heard the call while working at the sled dog tourism operation and diverted the helicopter used to ferry tourists to the scene. Ultimately, firefighters who couldn't navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field jumped out of the helicopter. By this time, Morris was hypothermic from the cold water running off the glacier, Crites said, and his wife was holding his head out of the water. 'I think if we hadn't had that private helicopter assist us, it would have taken us at least another 45 minutes to get to him, and I'm not sure he had that much time,' Crites said. The firefighters used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. 'But then it just became an all-hands brute force of 'one, two, three, push,'' Crites said. 'And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out.' An Alaska National Guard helicopter lifted them out of the creek bed with a rescue basket. Morris spent two nights at the local hospital for observation but walked away unscathed. 'I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him,' Crites said. Morris, who is now reflecting on his ordeal at home, acknowledged it might have been a little wake-up call to stop doing things like this at his age. 'I was very lucky. God was looking out for me,' he said. When he and his wife go hiking this weekend, they are going to stick to established trails. 'We're going to stop the trailblazing,' he said.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Alaska man survives being pinned face-down in a glacier creek by a massive boulder for 3 hours
An Alaska man who was pinned face-down in an icy creek by a 318-kilogram boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with no major injuries, thanks in part to his wife's quick thinking and lots of luck. Kell Morris' wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage. His second stroke of luck came when a sled dog tourism company that operates on the glacier overheard the 911 dispatch and offered up its helicopter to ferry rescuers to the scene, which was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles. Once rescuers arrived, it took seven men and inflatable air bags to lift the boulder off as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Morris, 61, said he realizes he is probably the luckiest man alive. "And luckier that I have such a great wife," he said Thursday. His wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper. They moved to Seward, about 193 kilometers south of Anchorage, from Idaho last fall when she took a job with the local police department. Last Saturday, they wanted to avoid the big crowds that converge on the Kenai Peninsula community during holidays and decided to hike near Godwin Glacier on an isolated and undeveloped trail behind a state prison, Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said. Their trail was actually a rocky creek bed lined with large boulders deposited by the glacier. Morris said he noticed dangerous boulders, some weighing up to 454 kilograms, along the banks of the creek and avoided them the best he could, until he ran into an area he couldn't pass. "I was coming back and everything, the whole side, slid out from under me," he said. He said things became a blur as he tumbled down the embankment about six metres, landing face-down in the water. Then he felt the boulder hit his back. Crites described it as "basically an avalanche of boulders." The way Morris landed, there were rocks under him, in between his legs and around him that caught the weight of the boulder, preventing him from being crushed, Crites said. But the massive rock still had him pinned, and Morris felt intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. "When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome," Morris said. His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal. Amazingly, she only had to walk about 274 metres to connect with 911, and relied on her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS co-ordinates to dispatch. A volunteer at the neighbouring Bear Creek Fire Department heard the call while working at the sled dog tourism operation and diverted the helicopter used to ferry tourists to the scene. Ultimately, firefighters who couldn't navigate their all-terrain vehicles over the boulder field jumped out of the helicopter. By this time, Morris was hypothermic from the cold water running off the glacier, Crites said, and his wife was holding his head out of the water. "I think if we hadn't had that private helicopter assist us, it would have taken us at least another 45 minutes to get to him, and I'm not sure he had that much time," Crites said. The firefighters used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. "But then it just became an all-hands brute force of 'one, two, three, push,'" Crites said. "And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out." An Alaska National Guard helicopter lifted them out of the creek bed with a rescue basket. Morris spent two nights at the local hospital for observation but walked away unscathed. "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him," Crites said. Morris, who is now reflecting on his ordeal at home, acknowledged it might have been a wake-up call to stop doing things like this at his age. "I was very lucky. God was looking out for me," he said. When he and his wife go hiking this weekend, they are going to stick to established trails. "We're going to stop the trailblazing," he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alaskan man cheats death after pinned by 700-pound boulder in icy creek
SEWARD, Alaska – What began as a tranquil Alaskan hike rapidly escalated into a desperate fight for survival for one couple. Last Saturday, 61-year-old Kell Morris and his wife sought to avoid holiday crowds by venturing onto a quiet, untracked path near Seward, firefighters said. Their peaceful outing, however, was shattered when a massive boulder dislodged from the canyon wall, striking Morris and pinning him in the frigid Fourth of July Creek. What unfolded next was a complex, multi-agency rescue effort. The Seward Fire Department, alongside various other agencies, immediately responded, locating Morris about 2 miles upstream from their command post. Due to the extreme terrain, crews advanced slowly on foot and using ATVs. Alaska Slammed By Atmospheric River As Summer Cruise Season Revs Up A critical turning point in the rescue came when a neighboring firefighter, employed by a helicopter tour group, overheard the emergency call. He and a pilot swiftly volunteered their helicopter, airlifting six firefighters directly to Morris's location and cutting 45 minutes off the crucial travel time, according to the Seward Fire Department. "The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely," the Seward Fire Department said. Rescuers found Morris lying face down in the creek with a 700-pound boulder pinning him while his wife held his head above the water. "The patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness," firefighters said. "Crews used air bags, ropes and brute force to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety." Rare Tornado Spotted In Alaska's Chugach State Park May Only Be State's 5Th On Record Once out of the icy water, rescuers worked quickly to warm him. As his body temperature rose, Morris became more alert and his vital signs stabilized, firefighters said. However, it quickly became apparent that traditional methods of transporting him down the treacherous canyon were neither safe nor feasible. In a final critical move, pararescue jumpers with the 176th Wing Air National Guard were called in and successfully hoisted Morris out of the canyon and transferred him to an awaiting ambulance. Morris was then rushed to a local hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery. "It is no doubt that without the help from Seward Helicopter tours this incident could have had a much different and potentially fatal outcome," firefighters emphasized. "It is community members and businesses that we work so well with that make our jobs easier and more productive."Original article source: Alaskan man cheats death after pinned by 700-pound boulder in icy creek
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Alaska hiker rescued from under 700lb boulder in frigid creek
A hiker in Alaska miraculously survived after he was trapped facedown in a frigid creek for three hours under a massive boulder. Kell Morris was hiking with his wife below a glacier outside the city of Anchorage when a rock slide sent him plunging into the creek. A 700lb (318kg) stone came to rest on top of his leg, pinning him in wife positioned his head out of the water and called for help from rescuers, giving them the exact coordinates of their location. After a few days in hospital, he walked away nearly completely unscathed. The accident occurred on Saturday near Godwin Glacier. Mr Morris says that the rock that pinned him in place landed in a "trough" of other rocks, protecting him from being crushed but preventing him from being able to move. A rescue crew arrived by helicopter and had to use tools to lift the were also working against the clock: the glacier-fed creek was rising as the heat of the day caused ice and snow melt to occur more quickly. "I thought, I'm not going to last long in this water," Mr Morris recalled in an interview on Wednesday with the Anchorage Daily News."The water had gotten up to my chin," Mr Morris said. "I was going in and out of consciousness. I'd been shivering, but I stopped shivering every once in a while."His wife Jo Roop, who works as a police officer for the city of Seward, made sure he was able to hold himself out of the water in a press up position so she could hike to find enough mobile phone service to call for help. She still retained her sense of humour during the ordeal, he told Alaska Public Media (APM), recalling: "She graciously tells me, 'don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.'"Ms Roop was able to provide exact GPS coordinates for their location, according to rescue officials. In a stroke of luck, a volunteer firefighter overheard the radio call for rescue while working for a sled dog tour company. He was able to divert a helicopter used for shuttling tourists to pick up rescuers and take them to the accident site. But the helicopter was not able to land, due to the rough terrain."The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely," the Seward Fire Department said in a statement posted to used inflatable airbags to lift the rock, and a National Guard helicopter brought Mr Morris to hospital where he was treated for recovered, Mr Morris says he suffered little more than bruises, and is already back on his feet. "I'm walking and, you know, if there was a band nearby, I'd go dancing tonight," he told APM.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Man trapped for three-hours under boulder sustains only minor injuries
Kell Morris, 61, was hiking near Godwin Glacier in Alaska when a 700-pound boulder pinned him face down in an icy creek for three hours. His wife, Jo Roop, a retired Alaska State Trooper, held his head above water to prevent him from drowning and provided GPS coordinates to dispatch, which was crucial for his survival. A sled dog tourism company overheard the 911 dispatch and offered their helicopter to transport rescuers to the remote location, which was inaccessible to all-terrain vehicles. Seven men used inflatable air bags to lift the boulder, freeing Morris, who was drifting in and out of consciousness due to hypothermia from the cold water. Morris spent two nights in the hospital for observation and sustained only minor injuries, acknowledging his luck and expressing gratitude for his wife's quick thinking.
