An Australian hiker on Wednesday recounted how he had been crawling for two days through the forest and scrub, his leg broken in two as he fell from a waterfall.
Neil Parker, 54, told reporters that he was on Sunday on a peaceful three-hour hike northwest of Brisbane (east), when everything turned into a nightmare. The unfortunate hiker made a six-meter drop from the top of a waterfall, breaking his leg and wrist. "I made the wheel and hit a rock before landing at the bottom of the stream," he said from his hospital bed. The lower part of his leg hung inert after having "clearly" broken in two. This experienced hiker immediately said, "I'm in trouble because no one knows where I am."
A "handful of nuts, a protein bar and some lollipops" to hold
After unsuccessfully trying to call for help with his phone, which was no longer working after he fell into the water, he began to crawl to a clearing where he thought he was more likely to be rescued. Neil Parker then made a makeshift splint on his fractured leg, but it was so painful that he suffered hallucinations. With just a "handful of nuts, a protein bar and some lollipops" to hold, the brave 50-year-old then embarked on a three-kilometer journey, crawling hard to advance little by little.
"What I had walked back in 40 minutes, I took almost two days to down the crawl," he said. On Sunday night, he saw a helicopter over his head but he knew his chances of being located were nil because he was under brush. The hiker had to wait until Tuesday afternoon to be located by a helicopter which then hoisted. Neil Parker, who founded a hiking club and has already been involved in hiker research, said his experience was critical to his survival.