An Arizona man proved his toughness after surviving a fall down a 100-foot mine shaft and holding out for two days until rescue workers were able to find him. 62-year-old John Waddell was lowering himself into the abandoned mine when his carabiner broke and he went tumbling to the bottom, breaking both of his legs when he hit the ground.
Waddle found himself stranded at the bottom of the mine, with no cell service and the nearest paved road three miles away. To make matters worse, Waddell's fall attracted the attention of three rattlesnakes that were living in the mine. Waddell managed to fend off and kill the snakes while he waited to be rescued.
Luckily, he told his friend, Terry Schrader, that he was going to the mine and said that he would be back the next day.
“He called me Monday and told me he was coming to the mine,” Schrader told FOX10. “We always had a deal: if he is not back by Tuesday, [come look for him] because he said he would be back Tuesday.”
When Schrader got to the mine he could hear Waddell screaming for help and immediately called 911. It took rescue workers six hours to lift him from the mine. He was rushed to the hospital to be treated for his two broken legs and dehydration but is expected to make a full recovery.
“I’ve been around a few rescues but nothing like this," Schrader said. "He’s tough.”