Alaska man rescued from under 700-pound boulder in creek with wife’s help

An Alaska man was rescued after being trapped under a 700-pound boulder in a creek. His wife played a crucial role in saving him by keeping his head above water. The incident occurred while the man, Kell Morris, was hiking near Godwin Glacier in Seward last Saturday. The trail where the incident took place is isolated and undeveloped, located behind a state prison.

According to Seward Fire Chief Clinton Crites, the man was found face-down in the creek with the heavy boulder on top of him. His wife managed to hold his head out of the water, preventing him from drowning. The man was suffering from hypothermia and drifting in and out of consciousness when rescuers arrived on the scene. The Seward Fire Department reported that crews used air bags, ropes, and sheer strength to lift the boulder off the man and bring him to safety.

Once out of the water, the rescuers re-warmed the man, and he started to regain alertness. His vital signs also improved following the ordeal. The quick and efficient response from the rescue team played a crucial role in saving the man’s life. The heroic actions of the man’s wife were also instrumental in preventing a tragedy during this terrifying experience.

Morris, 61, who was trapped for about three hours, later told the Associated Press that “I was very lucky” and “God was looking out for me.” 

Kell Morris, left, and his wife Jo Roop, in Sandpoint, Idaho.  (Kell Morris via AP)

Morris recounted to the AP how he felt an intense pain in his left leg and waited for his femur to snap. 

“When it first happened, I was doubtful that there was going to be a good outcome,” Morris said. 

His wife tried to free him for about 30 minutes, putting rocks under the boulder and trying to roll it off him, before she left to find a cell signal to call 911. She used her law enforcement experience to send exact GPS coordinates to dispatch. 

The Seward Fire Department said a volunteer at the nearby Bear Creek Fire Department who works for Seward Helicopter Tours then heard the call “while working and he and a pilot volunteered to respond to the scene and pick up six firefighters via helicopter and transport them to the patient, thus cutting down 45 minutes of travel time. 

“The patient was in a boulder field and the helicopter could only hover while firefighters had to jump from the helicopter to the ground as the helicopter could not land safely,” it said. 

The Seward Fire Department said Morris was airlifted to a local hospital where he is now expected to make a full recovery, but “it is now doubt that without the help from the Seward Helicopter Tours this incident could have had a much different and potentially fatal outcome.” 

Firefighters who carried out the rescue used two air bags normally reserved to extract people from wrecked vehicles to slightly lift the boulder. 

The creek near Seward, Alaska, where Kell Morris was trapped under a 700-pound rock.  (Jason Harrington/Seward Fire Department via AP)

“It just became an all-hands brute force of ‘one, two, three, push,’” Crites told the AP. “And seven guys were able to lift it enough to pull the victim out.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.