A 32-year-old nurse impaled his torso with one of his walking poles after slipping while hiking on Monday July 20 in the United States.
David Cifaldi, who was then attempting to climb Granite Peak, the highest peak in Montana, with two friends, then had to turn back and walk 16 kilometers in order to receive the necessary care, according to information reported by the news agency KTFM.
“I just fell… It was just a weird thing,” he told them.
Screenshot – CNN
The health professional would then have acted instinctively according to his medical training.
“I think my nurse brain took over. As soon as I was able to self-assess and understand that my life was not in danger, I was quite convinced that I was going to be able to get out of this situation on my own,” he told the same media.
Screenshot – CNN
David Cifaldi checked that his lungs and ribs were intact by taking many short breaths and then used his running jacket to prevent the pole from moving during the descent, according to the magazine Backpacker.
After several hours of walking, the group was confident that they would escape relatively unscathed and began to lighten the mood by making jokes.
Screenshot – CNN
The nurse said he felt lucky, because “a few inches off the side and it would have been a completely different story.”
The walk ultimately took a little over 6 hours to the hospital, where Mr. Cifaldi is currently undergoing treatment. He will potentially need surgery in the future.
