David Cifaldi, a 32-year-old American tourist, walked about 16 kilometers and descended nearly 1,500 meters on his own after a trekking pole pierced his body near the top of Granite Peak in Montana.
Cifaldi had long dreamed of reaching Granite Peak, Montana’s highest mountain at about 3,900 meters. Last week he set out with two friends at around 3:30 a.m. The group was about 300 meters below the summit and crossing a rocky area known as Froze-to-Death Plateau when he slipped on loose stones, dropped one trekking pole, and then fell onto the other. The 112-centimeter steel-tipped pole entered under his left armpit and exited through his back, passing through tissue while missing his lungs, chest cavity, and vital organs.
– When I fell, I knew something was wrong – Cifaldi told local US station KTVQ.
A nurse’s self-assessment
The hiker works as a wound-care nurse and previously served in an emergency department. After the accident, he remained calm and assessed his own condition. He was conscious, could breathe deeply, had no dizziness, and the wound was not bleeding heavily. The pole also stayed stable in his body.
– I could feel the pole through the skin. I knew that it was not lodged deep and that I could take deep breaths – he said.
Cifaldi concluded the injury did not pose an immediate threat to his life and managed to reassure his two worried companions that the pole was most likely outside the chest wall. The group contacted rescue services through a Garmin inReach satellite communicator, but Cifaldi decided not to wait for an evacuation. He felt he could get down with the help of experienced friends.
One reason for that choice was the possible cost of air transport. Help from the local search-and-rescue team would have been free, but a helicopter flight could have produced a large bill. Later, Cifaldi stressed that this was not the only factor: he stayed in contact with services, and his companions knew how to handle themselves in the mountains.
A long and cautious descent
The route down crossed boulder fields, snow patches, steep slopes, and sections without marked trails. One friend walked behind Cifaldi and watched his condition, while another picked a safe path and warned other hikers. Cifaldi said he was especially afraid that children hiking with their parents might see his serious wound.
Rescuers were kept informed of the group’s location and progress. The first report about the accident came in at about 9:44 a.m. Around 1:30 p.m., the men said they were approaching the trailhead and asked for the nearest medical facility to be alerted. Two hours later, they reached their car. Cifaldi covered the whole distance on foot, with the pole still sticking out of his side.
From there, his friends took him first to a facility in Columbus. It turned out that he needed more specialized treatment, so they continued to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, the hospital where Cifaldi works. Doctors removed the pole and dressed the wound. He was back at work just a few days later.
Cifaldi admitted he had enormous luck. If the pole had entered just a few centimeters further, it could have damaged a lung or other important organs.
– A few centimeters in another direction and it would have been a completely different story – Cifaldi said.
Despite the ordeal, he has not given up on his goal. Once he has fully recovered, he plans to try Granite Peak again with his friends, although the group will probably leave their trekking poles behind this time.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Polsat News
