DARTMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A hunter saved from the woods in Dartmouth is sharing his story, and recalling the moment he realized he was in deep trouble.
Brad Thelin went hunting this past weekend in familiar territory of his hometown of Dartmouth and as the sun began to set, he started to head back to his truck.
“As I started moving forward, I realized that where I thought I was going to come out, wasn’t going to be where I wanted to come back out,” Thelin said.
He says he turned around and started looking for the powerlines, his reference point to his truck and was talking through puddles of water, some up to his calves, but nothing worried him until he realized he was in a swamp.
“As I was trying to negotiate that area, I took a step that looked like maybe two inches of water, but it ended up being water up to my waist,” he said.
He was stuck in what he called ‘quicksand-like water’ and he managed to free himself from the muck, but was not out of the woods.
“It’s dark, I’m in the middle of the woods, no one really knows my exact location and at that point, I’m just thinking, ‘How do I get out of the water?'” he said.
He found a patch of moss where he could collect himself, surrounded by deep, cold water, and called 911 for help.
Rescuers found his truck, followed his footprints into the woods, and used his cellphone location to find another way to rescue him.
Thelin says the lesson is to always be prepared.
“When you find yourself in a situation where you’re not sure what the next best step is or if you should keep going, really the decision is to stop, make a phone call, and ask for help,” he said.
Police say it was a good thing he was prepared. His backpack was filled with a flashlight, a portable cell phone charger, an extra pair of gloves, and hand warmers.
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