A former U.S. Navy SEAL who crashed his dirt bike down an Oregon ravine says he survived 24 hours by using his iPhone charger to make a splint for his broken leg.
Matt L'Hommedieu, 46, was thrown from his bike and rolled down an embankment, landing on his back and fracturing his leg in several places.
The ex-military medic was in the remote Columbia River gorge searching for the parachute used by D.B. Cooper — the man who hijacked an airliner in 1971, escaped in mid-air with $200,000 and who has never been found.
L'Hommedieu, from Stevenson, Orgeon, was immobilized by his injuries in last Thursday’s accident and unable to climb back up to the road.
"I knew that it was a really, really dire situation,” he told NBC station KGW from his hospital bed.
He told reporters he made a makeshift splint for his lower leg using sticks, shoe laces and his iPhone charging cord.
"What was going through my head was, 'How do I get out of this predicament?'” he told The Columbian newspaper.
After a long and painful night, he was spotted on Friday afternoon by Anson Service and his wife Angela who were out hiking.
“After being that alone for that long… and in that situation. Just to have someone just sit there and hold your hand it was very, very heartwarming,” he said.
Anson Service told KGW they drove 20 minutes to find cellphone reception and raise the alarm so that L'Hommedieu could be airlifted to hospital where he hopes to make a full recovery.
