Australian hiker says he crawled ‘inch-by-inch’ to survive after his leg ‘snapped in half’

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An Australian hiker who says his leg “snapped in half” after tumbling down a waterfall revealed Wednesday that he crawled “inch-by-inch” for two days to get to a clearing area, where he was finally spotted and rescued.

Neil Parker, 54, was hiking near Mount Nebo outside of Brisbane on Sunday when the accident occurred.

"I slid about 20 feet, cartwheeled and slammed into the rock and then landed in the creek on the bottom," the 54-year-old said from his hospital bed, noting that his lower leg “clean snapped in half."

Neil Parker speaks Wednesday after being rescued following a fall he suffered on a hike. (Reuters)

“And I thought, 'the only way to get rescued is self-rescue,’” he added.

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Parker, who lost his cell phone in the fall, reportedly used first aid supplies and painkillers he had packed to tend to his leg during the ordeal. He managed to splint his left leg that was broken below the knee with walking poles and snake bite bandages that he carried in his hiking kit.

Parker told reporters that he was "scrambling and lifting, inch-by-inch" to get to a clearing in the area, where he eventually was spotted by rescuers.

"I had to carry my leg - and legs are very heavy when they're not connected to anything - and [I was] trying to pick it up and get over rock and then use this elbow and this arm and just constantly struggling," the BBC quoted Parker as saying.

"I'd get about a meter, a meter-and-a-half, each time before I had to stop and take a break," he added.

Neil Parker was airlifted away from the woods after rescuers spotted him. (QG AirVision)

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Parker said thinking of his family and children gave him the strength to keep pushing forward.

"I was getting very emotional thinking this is not a nice way to die, just lying here," he said.

A search was launched on Monday after he failed to turn up for work and his boss rang his ex-wife, who raised the alarm. Parker's former spouse discovered he had told friends he was considering a walk to the waterfall.

Parker is now undergoing treatment for a broken wrist and leg at a hospital in Brisbane.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.