A man was rescued alive after falling into a 100-foot-deep mine shaft in Arizona on Oct. 15.
John Waddell, 62, went 48 hours without food or water while stuck in the shaft as rescuers tried to locate him.
His friend Terry Shrader finally found him at the mine in Aguila.
“The carabiner broke I guess, and he supposedly fell 40 to 50 feet,” Shrader told ABC 15.
Shrader said that Waddell was trapped with several rattlesnakes around him, which he killed. He had a cell phone with him, but no service.
Shrader went to the area to check on his friend after getting a bad feeling.
“He called me Monday and told me he was coming to the mine. And we always had a deal, if he is not back by Tuesday [to come check on him],” said Shrader, who drove out on Wednesday. “As I pulled out my truck I could hear him hollering, ‘Help, help!'”
‘Fortunate’
“He is a very fortunate individual,” said Operations Commander Roger Yensen of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Mountain Rescue Posse, who Shrader alerted to the situation after driving away from the mine so he could get cell phone service.
Fifteen members of the posse responded.
One rescuer rappelled into the shaft and assessed Waddell’s injuries, determining that he had possible ankle and leg fractures as well as friction burns to his hands. He was alert, but dehydrated and was given IV fluids.
It took about three hours to lift Waddell the 100 feet to safety.
It took hours, but rescuers pulled a 62-year-old father out of a 100-foot gold mine shaft this evening.
He fell on Monday and was trapped for 48 hours before a friend checked on him.
Hear from that friend at 10…AND how the man handled 3 rattlesnakes in the mine with him! pic.twitter.com/fmswVnCVur— Zach Crenshaw ABC15 (@ZachCrenshaw) October 18, 2018
MCSO rescue operations chief Roger Yensen says 15 person crew pulled off the rescue. He says the bottom of the 100 ft mine was rocky and had some debris #12News pic.twitter.com/vVWgorI44X
— Bianca Buono (@BiancaBuono) October 18, 2018
He was then airlifted to the hospital in Phoenix, about 90 miles away. Waddell was in good condition Thursday at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, said hospital spokeswoman Alexis Kramer-Ainza. She said Waddell was undergoing surgery for two broken legs.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said that Waddell’s injuries were not life-threatening.
“Great job by all MCSO staff and volunteers who assisted in the rescue,” the office added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
