This Man Survived His Limbs Being Crushed In An ATV Accident | I Shouldn't Be Alive S3 EP4 | Wonder

when Ken Hildebrand is thrown from his quad bike in the remote Canadian wilderness he's pinned to the frozen ground beneath half a tonne of metal I [Applause] almost threw up just from the pain injured alone and exposed to all this savage region can throw it in there ken must battle to stay alive all he can do is hope that someone finds him before he either freezes to death or the Predators closing in on him move in for the kill my chances were very slim very slim [Music] yeah Kent Hildebrand is packing for a solo trip into the Canadian Rockies in the depths of winter and he knows it pays to leave nothing to chance some guys on the rescue squad that call me mr. gadget because they always thought that I carried too much and they used to always say well if we need to go on and rescue we always wanted to be paired up with Ken because he never gets lost he always knows where he's at and he can survive and now I'm going up to Bob Creek to collect some traps but you know I should be back in time you ever take an hour or three the survival expert regularly heads into the mountains alone and makes no firm plans about his return with his family and friends listen if I don't show we'll do it one of those back ok ken is a registered animal trapper then this trip is to check up on beaver traps that he said the day before [Music] we trap to keep a good healthy population animals and fevers our rodent the goal is to try and keep beavers from overpopulated [Music] ken loves the great outdoors and nothing stops him from enjoying this vast wilderness not even his disabled leg I had polio I had over 20 operations when I was a child I mean I never supposed to walk I through the braces away and everything else and I said I'm gonna walk I'm gonna do whatever normal people do getting around this remote region as a real challenge and Ken's trusty steed is his 4-wheel quad bike the Train is very rugged the country is very mountainous the hills are very very steep and there are a lot of places on my trapline that people even that are good good waters that wouldn't even tackle today's ride is even more dangerous Ken's bike is carrying a lot of extra weight my quad without any fuel in it that weighs 600 pounds the Beavers 35 and 50 pounds piece then the three gallons of gas yeah it went close to a thousand pounds a small pickup truck would probably weigh that the temperature drops below zero and the wind picks up so Ken called it a day the wind was blowing at least 80 kilometres an hour it was stuff blowing in my face as I was trying to drive it was blowing up small rocks all of a sudden I felt this sharp pain in the eye and and I blinked and I felt like a piece of grass and my eye in his second I let go of my handlebars I grabbed a hold of this piece of grass and the bike started going up and over I was on the way down and I could feel the bike was following me over it's just that there was nothing I could do [Music] felt to me like it was fast enough that I was getting out of the way but then WHAM it was so fast it just knocked me right face-first into the dirt and then I felt this excruciating pain in my leg I could feel my foot I could feel my ankle just totally dislocating and the bones were breaking I almost threw up just from the pain steel rat Grammy and a small part of the back and drove me down and knocked the wind out of me the pain was from my ankle and in the kathal my like I couldn't push and lift myself enough to move the bite no matter how I tried to move my legs I couldn't the heavily laden quad is pinned Ken to the ground in the middle of nowhere [Music] as a paramedic with the local rescue unit Ken's first instinct is to try to assess the severity of his injuries I took my pulse my pulse was at 160 it was bounding I could feel you know so my blood pressure must have been up high because I could really feel my pulse my skin was pale if I pinched it it was slow to come back to normal it took five seconds for my color to go back to my finger so I knew that I was in shock pain and the anxiety was causing me to make my heart rate go up so I knew I had to slow myself down so that I could rationalize I could think properly Ken learned how to deal with pain as a child fighting polio I kind of mentally block it out it's amazing how much pain I can actually block out ken cannot reach his legs which took the full impact of the crash and he can only imagine the kind of damage that's been done my first assumption was that yes I dislocated my ankle for sure possibly crushed it I thought that maybe I had done a lot of damage to my right knee because it hurt like hell my ploy yo leg is not very big I can actually put my hand around like this when it smashed down into that ground I thought for sure that knee was done the ways of Ken's quad bike and survival gear exerts enormous pressure when his injured legs causing excruciating pain [Music] it crushes his good right leg against his weaker polio leg cutting off the circulation from his calf to his foot ken knows that to avoid permanent damage he needs to act fast my first reaction was I need to get out from underneath the quad even if I've broken my leg so I looked around and tried to see if there was any sticks or anything I could grab all of Ken's gear is still strapped to the cord [Music] only his axe has fallen clear during the crash but it's tantalizingly just out of reach can survival instinct kicks in I always carry this firestarter around my neck and compass on a string getting his hands on the axe could mean the difference between life and death [Music] - can the axe is his only means of escape [Music] [Music] it took me several tribes or more to finally catch the part of the ax handle I thought right away well maybe I can use my axe as a leverage to push the quad off me but trapped facedown it's impossible for Ken to get enough leverage on the ax handle to lift the cord now I think okay I I'm stuck here I'm actually trapped but when you're in that situation you got to try something and if that don't work you got to try something else I was thinking well if I can reduce the weight on the quad maybe I'll have a better chance of getting out from underneath it but every strike causes agonizing pain - Ken's injured body as he tries to knock the heavy gear from the quad [Music] and then I thought if I can perhaps maybe pile the beaver up stick the axe in there on the corner of the rack with the Beavers under his arms Ken's hoping the extra height will make a difference it seems to be working the quad moves a fraction of an inch no it felt so good I mean it still hurt like hell and it felt like the bones were broken it but at least that steady constant pressure was relieved [Applause] fueled by adrenaline can decides it's time for a make or break effort to free himself I've just broken my best chance of getting out of here so what am I gonna do now [Music] can is now completely trapped in this Canadian wilderness he has to come up with another escape plan if he's going to survive now I thought okay the axe is broke the handles not as long perhaps now I can take and I can get underneath there and chop and hack away some of the ground if Ken can loosen the soil beneath him he might be able to work himself free but weighed down by his quad and the equipment it's a near impossible task you try chocolate like this here in a little space it's just it's a challenge because I couldn't get underneath my leg I kept trying to get underneath it but every time I tried to to chop to get underneath it I either hit the ground and they asked to ricochet into my leg or I would just hit my leg despite the pain ken simply refuses to surrender and accept his fate when you're caught in a survival situation like that your attitude has so much to do with it it's very easy to give up to think that oh it's all despair there's no hope as long as you don't let those things get in your way and you stop and rationalize it's surprising how many little things that you can do I continued trying to figure out and evaluate some way that I could move that clod so that I can get one leg for you if I could get just one leg free I can get out from underneath this thing despite his ingenuity and effort ken begins to realize he may have to spend the night alone in the freezing Alberta mountains all your nerves at that point in time is raw your mind is going through a million things like how long is this gonna last I tried every which way possible and thought of what if I could do this or if I could get that or after five hours I had exhausted all my options [Music] darkness is closing in the Rockies at night a deadly especially in winter when the temperatures can plummet to 20 below freezing cold winds rush down off the mountains and these howling gusts play tricks with Ken's mind I hear something that I stopped now am I really hearing that or am I not hearing that [Music] in fact I was incredibly kena's crushed his quad just half a mile away from a farmer's house if somebody would just hear his cries his ordeal would be over when I first heard the dogs it gave me a little bit of spark of hope well maybe I won't have to spend the night after all [Music] ken is prepared for every eventuality he even carries a whistle around his neck which he uses to attract attention the dogs of course because I have so much better hearing than a human they could hear me but his distress calls are drowned out by the high winds and go unheard by human ear I heard him going in our house a few times help us oh so close but yet so far away it's another devastating blow for Ken [Music] and to make matters even worse all of the gear and supplies that his board that could keep him alive are tied to his bike completely out of reach what I had on my Claude I could have survived for a month no problem I had water I had a hot coffee in it my first aid kit of course and a sleeping bag that's good for 40 below without all this life-saving equipment ken faces the ultimate test of his survival skills [Music] the temperature is already 11 below and with the windchill it feels even colder [Applause] he might die of hypothermia if he doesn't think fast I knew that the wind the coal could kill me easily in a matter of probably half an hour or less if I went to sleep [Music] the freezing conditions take their toll ken knows that his violent shivering could be the first sign that hypothermia was set in and it can only get worse from here once you stop sharing you are in severe hypothermia and your shock can be irreversible people that go into hypothermia get just you follow me um up being warm they stop shivering they go to sleep in and then they they die during my 15 years on rescue I have probably seen three or four people that were in a situation that I was in and none of them survived so I forced myself to stay awake and even when I got to the point where I couldn't shiver properly I would force myself deliberately force myself to move to simulate shivering I knew I needed to keep my body heat from going into the ground if Ken skins one of the dead beavers he might be able to slide its fur underneath his body for insulation but there's a danger the smell might also attract predators and with his axe broken he's powerless to fight them off I know the possibilities of Cougars are any predator coming around is greater every hour that I stay there had I been attacked by a cougar my chances would have been zero ken knows without skinning the animal he will die there's little chance of rescue soon his family aren't expecting him home for days and even his dinner plans were tentative but listen if I don't show will come can decides the rewards of skinning the beaver outweigh the risk of attracting predators I put the hide side down in the first side up so that made my stomach a lot warmer [Music] the temperatures continue to drop and it's another 8 hours until sunrise the Beavers Pelt gives him some temporary relief but at a cost the smell of fresh carcass could be carried for miles around with predators soon picking up on the scent Ken's greatest concern is dehydration it's been 12 hours since his accident and he hasn't been able to drink any fluid I had already been sweating for quite a bit because of the pain number two the exertion I was using trying to move this quad [Music] his body is losing water rapidly and Maeby's unable to replace it people died part of the problem with hypothermia is your your fluid levels because your blood is drawn to your vital organs and that you need that fluid I had this stuff on my quad but I couldn't reach him I had an extra gallon of water thermos full of coffee I knew that I needed to get some kind of moisture somehow somewhere ken carries a roll of plastic flagging tape to mark out the areas where he's laid his traps [Music] now he has an idea that he can use it to save his life [Music] if I can get frost on the ribbon I can run it through my teeth and I can get the moisture from the frost I don't know how much moisture I got from it but it was enough to keep the inside of my mouth a little bit moist at times [Music] but it brings him little relief he's not eaten for 20 hours and his body is weakening with every minute in these severe conditions I knew I needed something for strength I decided I was going to try and eat some beaver [Music] it was like meat that's crystallized partly frozen so that probably in itself probably helped me to kind of not and get it down but it wasn't the pleasantest thing that I mean [Music] all of a sudden I just felt sick to my stomach and it came back up so I thought well this isn't good I'm losing more bodily fluids every decision can make snow could mean the difference between life and death the thing that played the most on my mind was the fear I didn't want somebody in my family to have the anguish of finding me and you know partially eight by an animal or something you know who knows what can happen once you once you pass away [Music] after 15 hours of darkness Ken's survival knowledge and sheer strength of will have seen him through the night crushed under his quad bike in freezing temperatures suddenly the early-morning silence is broken by a welcome sound and take it the rescue crews finally coming smoke damn time I'm gonna give them - hell and it flew off in a distance [Music] once again Ken's chances of rescue adjust out of reach desperate for help he tries to alert the farmer again the farmhouse is only half a mile away but Ken's desperate cries go unheard I was just exhausting every possibility that I could try and use one defeat after another at that point in day two I wasn't really sure how long I'd be able to survive can second day passes slowly with his survival kit just out of reach and the chance of rescue so frustratingly close all he can do is lie and wait and get what moisture he can he still covered in the scent of fresh meat and the dangers of night threatened again I thought that I heard something move and I seen a couple of coyotes off on the rate Ken's biggest fear has been realized the scent of the skinned beaver has attracted some unwelcome visitors even from a distance the Coyotes conceded Ken is trapped and can't move [Music] cabe's can be unpredictable it's not the first time that they have attacked humans when I heard coyotes messing around I thought there was a possibility that they might get more aggressive [Music] [Music] I got a couple of rocks and I got the broken ax handle laying there I thought I you know how long that would last who knows ken has already been trapped for over 30 hours his survival training has kept him alive but the paramedic realizes the parts of his body are already dying the constant pressure of the quads wheel and the swelling in his right leg is causing serious nerve and tissue damage ken knows that even if he is found now his good leg might not survive during the night it got to a point where it was like your foot goes to sleep and you get all those needles and pins going through it I figured well my foot is beyond saving now for sure the hopelessness of his situation starts to take its toll we just finished celebrating my my granddaughter's birthday I was thinking about that quite a bit because my daughter had videoed me dancing with my grandkids that's probably the last time I'll answer [Music] I'll be missing out Kendra's strength from the battles he won as a young boy you know I've been through worse than that I mean I was never supposed to walk I had twenty operations when I was a kid I threw the braces away and that much of a challenge that I can't overcome that it works wonders for your morale if you sing and also if there was something coming close they knew that I was human and perhaps it might stay a little further away before they found out you know what kind of circumstance I was actually just before daylight they they came back the Coyotes have returned and this time they changed their tactics closing in on Ken from behind unable to see them can can only imagine their next attack you can hear them scratching and you can you know quick pitter-patter of feet and then you hear a little yap and then you can hear some more feet so you don't know whether they're 200 yards away or whether they're right behind you they were definitely excited and they were getting each other excited as the Coyotes move in for the kill they discover one of the dead beavers that fell off the quad to her harsh it sound just like they were fighting over it they sounded like they were a lot closer [Music] now the Coyotes have a taste for blood and Ken fears he is next on the menu what's next are they gonna get more aggressive the frenzy of noise seems to attract the attention of the dogs in the nearby farmers [Applause] but once again high winds muffle the noise from human ears perhaps if he were to let one of his dogs go maybe they had would have come to me the noise seems to scare off the Coyotes for now ah [Music] [Music] as day breaks ken has been trapped for nearly 40 hours the chance of rescue remains so close yet so far away every time that I could hear the sound of the dogs barking or I can hear the farmer open the door and I would blow the whistle nothing would happen it was very frustrating damn frustrating to what's going on why cannot something come my way for a change why can't my luck change I'm the type of guy that you know like I've always been very independent and this is the first time I found myself in a situation where I couldn't rely on myself to get myself out of it Ken's friends and family still have no idea he's missing and no rescue operation has been launched you know I was down definitely I was down as a paramedic ken knows his body is rapidly deteriorating I knew that shock was probably getting worse my core body temperature was definitely dropping my fuel intake was zero was more concentrated and I'm trying not to to fade off and go to sleep I knew that if I was going to survive at all I had to stay awake [Music] just before dark again the KH came back in there was a few more I was so intent and focused on what these coyotes might be doing one can only imagine and think because you can't see them right it's Ken's third night trapped under the cord exposed dehydrated and close to death and this time the Coyotes have returned to hunt as a pack they're well-versed at their attack tactics they would have tried definitely from my face from my throat because that was the most exposed if you're swinging one way they would try to grab you from the back this pack of already tasted fresh meat and the craving come on if I couldn't scare them off with the whistle and hollering my chances were very slim very slim Ken's outburst is just enough to fend off the Coyotes but if he has to spend another night out there they'll be back and he may not have the strength to fight them off for much longer [Music] [Music] [Music] in front of the foal for days I never slept I consciously made sure that I kept myself awake because I know from experience the wind the cold could kill me easily my body was telling me it was a downward slide my mental alertness wasn't there my coordination wasn't as good as it could have been so I knew all those things were telling me that my body is shutting down more on time for sure [Music] my family was my primary focus I can deal with whatever comes along he's how can they deal with it you know how old it affect them I thought that if I didn't make it maybe while I still got my faculties together and I'm still able to write a message I should write a message too just in case Wow I told him I was sorry [Music] and I loved him [Music] [Music] I took my glasses off and I laid them in front of me and I thought that well maybe you know just maybe I could get a little bit of rest [Music] finally I actually closed my eyes on the fourth day the battling pain and fear of forcing himself to stay awake to fend off dangerous coyotes and hypothermia can finally let's go [Music] that morning was a nice day for a walk and I decided to take my dog to a particular area to visit friends and looking at the beautiful hills and the mountains in the background I changed my plans went to another area and found an area I'd never been before why did I change my mind I have no idea search-and-rescue expert roy davidson seems to be being led by fate to a certain point in the mountains I had no intention of being in that area whatsoever I changed my plans five times to end up where I was when I got down into the bottom of the valley that's where I changed my mind again but I just looked over and I saw the quad it looked like something somebody underneath it I'm on the search-and-rescue and about a year earlier we'd had a search we'd been looking for a missing hunter on a quad we found this fellow and he was underneath the quad and he was dead Oscar Oscar Oscar it was exactly the same scene I figured there was probably somebody pinned under there that was probably dead I've heard something and is my mind playing tricks on me or is this real did I go to sleep am I dreaming or [Music] I thought I was seeing things I thought I was hallucinating I said oh boy you know this is getting really severe is it is it real what you mean I felt blessed I felt lucky to be alive I don't have to say goodbye to my family [Music] the relief of the lake when he lifted the quad off of me it was fantastic you know I just can't describe how great it felt but it was short-lived I tried to move my legs and then I realized that I couldn't move my legs what he first told me he'd been there for four days and three nights I didn't believe it he was very calm he was very businesslike he knew what he had to do he thought his legs or at least one leg was broken that was probably a place where the quad wheel was sitting on his leg then the flesh was frozen I knew that for two days I didn't go to the bathroom anymore I knew that you know I could have liver damage I could have kidney damage I think the reason that Ken survived is he's tough he's one tough dude Roy has to get Ken to hospital as soon as possible I tried to be as careful as possible driving out of there it was pretty rough there was no road it was just up the bottom of the valley and his leg was starting to hurt him it was probably getting the bumps and stuff where I felt circulation going into parts of my legs and that that I could actually feel and and if it's ironically that the pain actually felt good I don't know how to explain it it just I wasn't down but I wasn't you know jumping for joy like you think a person might because I knew I was still alive but I I knew I had a ways to go yet before I was out of the woods how far I wasn't sure and I knew I wouldn't know until I was in the hospital surgeons fought to save Ken's right leg but eventually they had to amputate leaving him at a prosthetic limb and his week of polio leg but with the same determination that he had as a child can is walking again I had no doubt in my mind that I wasn't gonna walk again I'm gonna walk it's not just you that has to survive it's your whole family that has to deal with the issues that come up and if you love each other you'll make it through [Music]

Channel: Wonder

Views: 1,839,331

Rating: 4.8228545 out of 5

Keywords: crushed and alone, i shouldnt be alive, crushed alive, wonder survival videos, this man survived

Id: sOUeqCGKxjg

Length: 48min 19sec (2899 seconds)

Published: Sun May 20 2018