Montana Man’s Granite Peak Survival Story Sounds Impossible, But It’s True

Montana Hiker Survives An Unbelievable Granite Peak Accident

Have you ever heard a story so unbelievable that your first reaction is, "There's no way that's true?"

I promise you, this is one of those stories that's actually real.

Emergency Room Nurse Makes an Incredible Decision

A Montana man is recovering after a hiking accident on July 20 while climbing Granite Peak, the tallest mountain in the state.

Billings resident David Cifaldi was hiking with friends when he slipped and fell, landing on his own trekking pole.

The pole pierced his left side just below his arm and came out through his lower back. Somehow, despite how horrific that sounds, it missed every vital organ.

As incredible as that is, what happened next might be even more unbelievable.

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Hiking 10 Miles With A Trekking Pole Still Lodged In His Body

Cifaldi is an emergency room nurse with wound care training, and instead of waiting for a rescue, he relied on his medical experience and made the decision to hike back down the mountain.

His friends, Jesse Ross and Brad Reich, were with him when it happened. One stayed by David's side, while the other went ahead to warn hikers, especially families with kids, about the gruesome sight they were about to encounter.

Over the next 6 1/2 hours, David hiked the same 10 miles they had already climbed, all while the trekking pole was still lodged in his body.

Along the way they contacted authorities using a satellite communicator, allowing David to get to a nearby clinic before making the two-hour drive to Billings, where surgeons successfully removed the pole.

As unbelievable as this story is, David says he plans to return to Granite Peak once he's fully recovered.

Source: The Guardian