Yahoo News Hiker 'with leg snapped in half' has to crawl for two days through Australian bush to save himself after falling 20ft
A bushwalker today revealed how he crawled through scrubland for two days with his lower leg “clean snapped in half” after falling 20ft down a waterfall.
Neil Parker, 54, said he was walking alone on Mount Nebo, 20 miles west of Brisbane, when he slipped on a rock and fell, breaking his leg and wrist.
He added: “My left foot just below my ankle, clean snapped in half. The whole bottom of my leg came loose.”
He told reporters from his bed at the city’s Princess Alexandra Hospital: “Straight away, I thought, ‘I’m now in a lot of trouble because no one knows where I am.’ ”
The experienced hiker said he tried to phone for help but his mobile had been damaged in the fall.
Using hiking sticks to splint his leg, he managed to lumber about two miles to an area where he believed search and rescue workers might be able to spot him.
Mr Parker said painkillers and protein bars he had packed for his hike had helped him survive agonising journey.
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“I could only get a metre or a metre-and-a-half each time before I had to stop,” he said.
“What took me 40 minutes to walk up took me nearly two days to crawl back down.
"I had to carry my leg - and legs are very heavy when they're not connected to anything - and [I was] trying to pick it up and get over rock and then use this elbow and this arm and just constantly struggling."
Mr Parker was eventually spotted by a rescue helicopter and winched out yesterday afternoon, and said on Wednesday he was overjoyed to be safe, and was anticipating seeing his family again.
“I’ve done some of the hardest walks in Australia and not injured myself. And going on a three-hour training track and I’ve come to grief, big time,” he said.
“So lessons learned and the training and influence from friends, including my ex-wife, who has trained me a lot in the long-distance stuff.
“My kids live overseas. They’re coming over next week, so it will be good to see them. It was getting very emotional thinking – it’s not a nice way to die, just laying here waiting, waiting.”
