Ohio man rescued after four days in ravine with broken bones

This image shows the ravine that hiker Gerald Muskiewicz fell into last week. (Fox 8 Cleveland)

Officials in northeast Ohio say a hiker is lucky to be alive after he spent four days at the bottom of a ravine before crawling hundreds of yards to find help.

"I'm happy he's alive, just shocked that he lasted that long," Elyria Fire Department Assistant Chief Joe Pronesti told Fox 8 Cleveland.

Firefighters located a naked Gerald Muskiewicz at a country club on Monday. He told first responders that he had fallen over a cliff and into the ravine on Thursday.

"It could be anywhere from 30 to, there are some 60 to 100 foot drops, depending on where you fall," Pronesti said.

Muskiewicz told authorities that he initially fell into the Black River.

"He was able to survive that to begin with, survived the fall and you could have hypothermia, he had two badly broken legs, broken arms, chest injuries," Pronesti said.

Muskiewicz said he tried to find help, despite his injuries.

"From where he fell to where we found him, it's over 300 yards that he had to crawl, "Pronesti said. "There's no way he walked with...he had injuries to his upper legs, both of them."

The assistant chief said Muskiewicz had taken off his wet clothes in an effort to avoid hypothermia.

"To be there for four days, you look at the weather we've had, we've had some rain, it's been chilly at night, I'm shocked that he survived, absolutely amazed," said Pronesti.

Muskiewicz was airlifted to a local hospital, where he was undergoing treatment.

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