Latest news with #SewardHelicopterTours
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Alaska Man Survives 'Without a Scratch on Him' After Being Pinned for Hours Underneath 700 Lbs. Boulder in 'Extreme Terrain'
An Alaska man has survived unscathed after being pinned underneath a 700-lb. boulder while out hiking with his wife, authorities have said The man, identified as Kell Morris, told CBS News he recognizes that he's probably the luckiest man alive "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him," Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites said, per the outletAn Alaska man is lucky to be alive after surviving hours pinned under a boulder weighing approximately 700 lbs. On Saturday, May 24, the Seward Fire Department was dispatched to a rescue in the Fourth of July Creek headwaters amid reports that a 61-year-old male was underneath a boulder, a news release shared on Facebook confirmed. The fire department was among multiple authorities to respond, with crews initially heading to the area on foot and on ATVs, but they were only able to move slowly "due to the extreme terrain." Luckily, a nearby Bear Creek Volunteer Fire Department worker, who also works for Seward Helicopter Tours, heard the call while working and he offered to help authorities get to the patient quicker, cutting down 45 minutes of travel time, the release stated. "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 post said. CBS News has identified the man as Kell Morris, stating his wife helped hold his head above water to prevent him from drowning after the boulder "crashed onto him" while they were hiking "near a remote glacier south of Anchorage." The Seward Fire Department noted in the news release that the "patient was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness" by the time crews reached him. They then "used air bags, ropes, and brute force to lift the boulder off the patient and pull him to safety." Authorities "re-warmed" the man and he became more alert and his vitals improved," the release said, adding that the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (AKRCC), through the Alaska State Troopers, was contacted to help bring the patient down the canyon. The release added that the patient was treated at Seward Providence Hospital and is "expected to make a full recovery." "No life-threatening injuries were noted," the post confirmed, thanking Seward Helicopter Tours for their help while acknowledging that it could have potentially been a "fatal outcome" otherwise. According to CBS News, the helicopter was being used to take tourists to the area as part of a sled dog company. Morris told CBS News on Thursday, May 29, that he realizes he's probably the luckiest man alive, saying, "And luckier that I have such a great wife." The outlet noted that Morris' wife, Jo Roop, is a retired Alaska State Trooper, who moved to Seward last fall with her husband after she started working with the local police department. The pair had headed to the more isolated area near Godwin Glacier in a bid to avoid the crowds over Memorial Day weekend, CBS News reported, citing Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites. Morris had apparently tried to avoid the big boulders on the trail, but had eventually come across an area he couldn't pass. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "I was coming back and everything, the whole side slid out from under me," Morris told the outlet, adding that he'd fell around 20 feet down the embankment and was lying face down in the water. "When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome," Morris told CBS News, as Fire Chief Crites said that the reason he wasn't crushed was because there were rocks under him, as well as in between his legs and around him that had caught the weight of the boulder. Crites told the outlet of the patient walking away unscathed, "I fully anticipated a body recovery, not him walking away without a scratch on him." Crites did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. Read the original article on People
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
700-pound boulder pins man in creek as spouse fights to save him, AK officials say
A multi-agency rescue unfolded after a 61-year-old man became pinned face down by a roughly 700-pound boulder in an Alaska creek, officials said. The man's spouse held his head above water and firefighters mobilized to help him, the Seward Volunteer Fire Department said in a Facebook post. The man was trapped May 24 in a boulder field in the headwaters of Fourth of July Creek in the Kenai Peninsula, officials said. Rescuers set up a command post at a quarry about 2 miles downstream and made their way with the help of ATVs through the 'extreme terrain,' officials said. Seward Helicopter Tours jumped to help and flew firefighters to the trapped man, 'cutting down 45 minutes of travel time,' according to officials. The helicopter couldn't land in the boulder field, so firefighters had to jump out while it hovered, officials said. The 61-year-old man 'was hypothermic and in and out of consciousness' when rescuers reached him, according to officials. They used 'air bags, ropes, and brute force to lift the boulder off' of him 'and pull him to safety,' officials said. Rescuers warmed him up, 'and he became more alert, and his vitals improved,' according to officials. The Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing hoisted him from the canyon, officials said. He was taken to a hospital and 'is expected to make a full recovery,' according to officials, who said he didn't appear to have life-threatening injuries. Facebook commenters had praise for the rescuers. 'Definitely amazing! Thankful for all of the well-trained responders!' one person wrote. The Kenai Peninsula is in south central Alaska.
