Arizona man survives 50-foot fall off cliff in Europe
(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - Best friends from Phoenix, Arizona who share a love for hiking also are sharing an unexpected experience while they were traveling together in Europe.
One hiker shares how a backpacking trip went haywire, leading to the dramatic rescue of her friend who is also a relative.
Sitting in a hospital bed, giving a thumbs up, Logan Moore is lucky to be alive.
"It was traumatic but it was kind of like best case scenario. This was also a big deal for them because they don't do very many helicopter rescues like this, normally when they do it it's to extract a body," said Adisyn Mathenia, Moore's cousin and best friend.
"We grew up going to school together," Mathenia added.
When chaos hit
The two were traveling around Europe together and were hiking in Switzerland with friends when chaos hit.
"So we get to the top, and Logan is taking a video of all of us standing by the edge. As soon as he, like, stops his video, he starts walking up to me where I'm standing on the edge of this cliff and he just slipped," Mathenia shared.
Moore landed on a boulder about 15-feet below.
"And he slid off of that boulder into the crevice and then fell another like 30-feet into the crevice headfirst," Mathenia further shared.
Multiple fractures
As one friend called authorities, another went to find someone who could translate. Mathenia then got closer to Moore to try and assess.
"So we go up to the crack, and we see just a bunch of blood on the rocks, but we're able to hear his voice, so I start asking him questions you know like...'What do you see?' 'Are you pinned?' 'Are you able to move?'" Mathenia expressed.
Twenty one minutes after Moore fell, a helicopter arrived. An hour and a half later, Moore was pulled out and flown to a hospital.
Logan has multiple fractures including several vertebrae and right scapula.
"At that point, Logan was in shock. He was very like hypothermic just due to how like cold and wet the area was," Mathenia added.
Focus on recovery
Now back in the states, the focus is on his recovery, which Mathenia says is a true miracle.
"So, I'm definitely I'm having some feelings after the situation, but I think I just have to keep reminding myself that Logan is alive, and that's all I could ask for," Mathenia expressed.
Mathenia says Moore was also extremely lucky because about ten feet to the right of where he fell was a 700-foot cliff.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Moore with his medical expenses.
