A 59-year-old man from Minnesota was rescued after four days trapped outside underneath a fallen tree. Jonathan Ceplecha was cutting down an oak tree on his property in Redwood Falls when the tree snapped and landed on him, breaking his legs and leaving him pinned to the ground.
"In a split second due to a freak accident, both of his legs were suddenly pinned down under an immovable log, and his upper torso was now semi-twisted as he sat upright on the ground," his son MIles wrote on GoFundMe. "His legs were broken instantly, and he was in enormous pain but, with no phone on him, and because he lives alone, there was nobody to hear or see him."
When Jonathan failed to show up for work, his family tried to call him but became worried when he didn't answer his phone. His ex-wife went to check on him and found him trapped underneath the tree. She contacted authorities, who spent two hours working to free him from the massive tree. He was transported to the hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries. He is in stable condition and has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
He stayed alive by eating plants and bugs and drinking rainwater he collected in his clothes. He stayed sane by meditating and praying.
"He kept his sanity by breaking down every day into hours, and each hour into 5-minute segments. As someone of a heavy faith, he prayed to himself often, and tried to distract himself from panic by meditating and inventing rhythms to follow from dawn to dusk," his son added.
Redwood County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mark Farasyn told KARE he was amazed that Ceplecha was able to survive for four days after suffering severe injuries.
"He had the will to live, and he wasn't ready to go," Farasyn told the station. "I don't know many people who could survive an ordeal like that."
Photo: Redwood County Sheriff's Office