This Oct. 17, 2018 photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office shows a rescue team lowering themselves into an old abandoned mine shaft to rescue a man who fell into the shaft on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, the near Aguila, Ariz. A hospital spokeswoman said the man who fell into the old abandoned mine shaft is in good condition awaiting surgery for two broken legs. Sheriff's officials say the man fell into the shaft Monday an was found two days later by someone who heard his calls for help. (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office via AP)
October 19, 2018 - 10:41 AM
PHOENIX - The man who found his friend hollering for help in an abandoned gold mine shaft in Arizona's desert says his buddy is an amateur prospector who hunts ore for fun and a few bucks.
Terry Shrader says the mine where the accident occurred Monday is among several on a 100-acre (40-hectare) claim his friend John Waddell has on Bureau of Land Management Property about 90 miles (140 kilometres) outside Phoenix. Shrader says the 60-year-old Waddell entered the mine searching for gold when he lost control of his descent and fell 100 feet (30 metres).
Shrader says Waddell fought off three rattlesnakes and went two days without food or water before Shrader found him Wednesday. He was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital, where he underwent surgery for two broken legs.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018