By Sadie Gray, The Independent
Published: 07 June 2007
A man cut off his own leg with a pocket knife to free himself after he was pinned beneath a fallen tree for almost 11 hours.
Al Hill, aged 66, from California, was working alone chopping down trees in a remote area of woodland, when one fell on his leg.
Unable to summon help because he could not get a signal on his mobile phone, he cut off his trapped leg. His cries for help were eventually heard by a neighbour, Eric Bockey, who ran for two miles before he was able to get a signal strong enough to call the fire service.
Mr Hill had been working near Iowa Hill, 60 miles from Sacramento, on Friday. The town of 200 people has no electricity and few services. Mr Bockey and another neighbour loaded Mr Hill on to a truck and drove him to an emergency landing site from where a helicopter flew him to hospital. Mr Hill, who had not gone into shock despite, received amputation surgery, said Luana Dowling, Iowa Hill's fire chief. "He's a pretty remarkable person," Mr Dowling said.
"Only me, Al and God were there that day," said Mr Bockey.
In May 2003, 27-year-old climber Aron Ralston, from Colorado, used a penknife to amputate his right arm below the elbow after spending five days trapped beneath a 57-stone boulder.
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