They’re calling him the “miracle man” — and after falling 1,000 feet from the Koolau Summit Trail and surviving at the base of a waterfall for three days, California visitor Ian Snyder is embracing the description.
“I never expected a day of hiking like this to go the way it did,” said Snyder, 34, during a news conference Tuesday to thank his rescuers.
“It’s a miracle first and foremost. I’m glad to be here, incredibly glad to be here and glad to be in mostly one piece. I’m incredibly grateful to all of you for the job you do each and every day.”
Snyder fell while hiking last Monday in the area alone.
He wasn’t heard from for days before his family rallied the Oahu hiking community to help.
Snyder’s sister says they were also able to pinpoint where he was based on video he’d posted to social media during his hike . Three days after falling, Snyder was found and airlifted to safety.
He was dehydrated, black and blue and had several broken bones.
But overall, he was OK — and was able to personally thank his rescuers.
Snyder fell near a waterfall and so was positioned at a small stream. That helped keep him alive.
On Tuesday, Snyder’s parents also got a chance to thank the firefighters, EMS personnel and good Samaritans. “I thank you so much for rescuing my son,” said father John Snyder.
Those rescuers also got a chance to talk about the day Ian Snyder was rescued.
They were fearing the worst after hearing the details of what happened.
But when HFD’s helicopter crew spotted Snyder, “to our disbelief, he was waving his hands to get our attention,” said Honolulu Fire Capt. Adrian Gravalho.
“We still don’t understand how to explain it.”
For his part, Snyder said he’s learned a few lessons after his terrifying fall.
For one, he says, he now knows not to hike alone in Hawaii.
He also said he used Google to map out his trail plan — an error in retrospect — and then made a split second decision during his hike that took him on a more treacherous path.
Honolulu EMS paramedic Allen Zhang said he and his partner were “expecting the worst-case scenario” when they were called to the scene.
“Falling 1,000 feet from a trail is no joke,” he quipped.
But they were overjoyed to find Snyder with serious but survivable injuries.
“We ended up treating another 14 patients that shift, but as you can imagine Mr. Snyder, your call was the most memorable,” Zhang said.
Hikers who helped with the search wanted to meet the man they had been tracking on his social media.
”I thought the best gift we could give to to the family was that we had found a body and when we had a found a whole human living and breathing and waving at the sky. It was like Merry Christmas,” said Amber Fonte of Oahu Hiking Community.
Source: Hawaii News Now
