62-year-old man fought rattlesnakes while he was trapped underground
A 62-year-old miner in Arizona was stuck in a mine shaft alone for three days.
When John Wadell went out to a mine on his property to prospect for gold, he instead found himself fighting for his life. The structure that Wadell had built over a 30-metre deep mine shaft to help him get down malfunctioned, leaving him unable to pull himself up. The 62-year-old war veteran relied on his wits and army training to survive.
If he had not been trained as a soldier he perhaps would not have had the skills necessary to kill the three rattlesnakes that he found himself sharing the small space with.Wadell's friend, Terry Schrader, told local news that he and Wadell had a deal: if he was not back within one day, Schrader was to come looking for him. As it turns out, Schrader only arrived at the shaft three days after Wadell fell in. He had become worried about his friend after not hearing from him for a while.
Schrader, who said that he regretted not checking up on his friend sooner, described the moment he arrived at the shaft and realised what had happened to his friend: "I could hear him hollering, 'help! help!" Schrader gave his friend some water before going to call for help.
Wadell, who already had artificial knees, broke both legs when he fell into the mine shaft. He is, however, expected to make a full recovery.
Image: NBC News