US: Man trapped by tree amputates own leg

A man used pocket knives to amputate his own leg in order to free himself after being pinned under a tree for almost 11 hours, authorities in the US said.

Californian Al Hill, 66, was cutting trees on a property near the Big Dipper Mine in Iowa Hill last Friday when a tree fell on his leg and trapped him, authorities said.

Alone in the woods, and in an area where mobile phone service is spotty or nonexistent, Hill was forced to take the extreme measure to save himself.

Eventually, Eric Bockey, a neighbour in the area, heard Hill’s cries for help. “Only me, Al and God were there that day,” he said, declining further comment.

Bookey had to go nearly two miles to get a cellular signal and make an emergency call, which came in to the all-volunteer fire department about 7.30pm, Iowa Hill Fire Chief Luana Dowling said.

He and another neighbour loaded Hill onto a truck and took him to an emergency landing site in town where a helicopter then transported Hill to hospital. He underwent amputation surgery, Dowling said, adding it was hard to believe that Hill did not go into shock.

“He’s a pretty remarkable person,” Dowling said.

In May 2003, a 27-year-old man from Colorado used a pocket knife to amputate his own arm below the elbow in a desperate bid to free himself after being trapped for five days under an 800lb boulder in a national park in Utah.