Impaled Aussie drags self to safety

2011-09-13 09:34

Melbourne - A man who impaled himself on a steel stake after falling from a rock in Australia showed "Bear Grylls" type grit to drag himself for 90 minutes and find help, paramedics said on Tuesday.

Gary Walker, 45, tumbled from a lookout in Melbourne's northwest on Monday, landing on a steel spike which pierced his upper thigh.

Paramedic Cate Jones said he fainted from the intense pain, but when he woke up he used his belt as a tourniquet, pulled the stake from his leg and dragged himself up a steep 50m embankment to call for help.

His exploits saw him likened to celebrity survivalist Bear Grylls, the English adventurer whose Man vs Wild television show has become one of the most-watched shows around the world.

"He's certainly shown some Bear Grylls characteristics in removing himself from a very difficult situation," paramedic Louise Wylie told reporters, adding that the man had first-aid training.

Jones said an ambulance arrived at the lookout to find the man pale and in severe pain with extensive bleeding.

"The man didn't have his phone with him so he had to drag himself back to the car park."

He was rushed to hospital in a stable condition.

- AFP