A 41-year-old father of two had to be put on life support after miraculously surviving several nights trapped in a 15-foot-deep gorge without food.
Ian Goodsell, who lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, was crossing an old bridge near a forest on Kamaili Road when the bridge collapsed beneath him. KITTV reported.
“He fell into a ravine about 15 feet deep and was there for three nights,” said Garrett Goodsell, Ian’s brother.
Based on what they’ve heard so far, the family believes Goodsell was able to hold out this long by using a tank top to suck up all the available water to drink. His brother also believes he stayed strong for his two sons.
“He has two young boys and I think he just held on to the idea that they didn’t know their father had died in a ditch. I think he just held on to the love for his children and that kept him alive long enough to find someone who could save him,” Garrett Goodsell said.
Ian Goodsell, pictured, narrowly survived a fall into a 15-foot gorge in Hawaii. He was trapped there for three nights until his screams were heard by someone
Goodsell, center, fell through the weak bridge about three days before August 21, when he was rescued
Because Goodsell has severe injuries that largely prevent him from communicating, the family is not sure exactly why he was there.
Alta Goodsell, Ian Goodsell’s ex-wife, said she believes he was on the land he was tending to. She’s not sure if he was clearing a trail or doing something else.
“I still don’t know the details. I know he said he had numerous seizures while he was down there. He has epilepsy medication that he takes every day and he didn’t have access to it, so he had seizures down there. I know it rained a lot, luckily that was before the hurricane,” Alta Goodsell explained.
Goodsell was discovered by a passerby on August 21, while Hurricane Hona brought 85 mph (137 km/h) winds and limited flooding to the island on August 25. Goodsell escaped for four days.
When the passerby heard Goodsell’s cries for help, they alerted authorities.
Brother Garrett Goodsell and ex-wife Alta Goodsell were both extremely happy that Ian was alive. They both said he had been having seizures while in the canyon.
A GoFundMe has been set up by a family member to help pay for Goodsell’s recovery. So far, $9,414 has been raised toward the $10,000 goal
The firefighters arrived quickly and, with sirens blaring, announced that they were coming to rescue him.
They found him 200 yards from the road.
“He just had enough energy to tell me he had been there for three nights and that he had been having seizures,” Garrett said.
“They had to intubate him when he got to the hospital because his body was basically shutting down. They put him on a ventilator. He was like that for a week.”
Goodsell is now off the ventilator, but he has difficulty speaking.
Hawaii Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Volpe warned other hikers about the dangers of traveling alone on potentially dangerous trails
The estimated location where the bridge collapsed under Goodsell
“The ER nurse described it as full-body injuries, full-body bruising, and acute liver damage from severe dehydration. He had very severe pneumonia and he was having trouble breathing on his own,” Garrett said.
Daniel Volpe, deputy fire chief for the Hawaii Fire Department, warned other hikers about the dangers of hiking alone on potentially dangerous trails.
“If you’re going to hike, and this wasn’t necessarily a hiking trail, and even more so if you’re going to go there, make sure you stay on the trails as much as possible,” Volpe said. “Don’t just hike by yourself, let people know where you’re going and when you expect to be back.”
A family member has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for Goodsell’s recovery. So far, $9,414 has been raised toward a goal of $10,000.