ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. — A man who fell while hiking near a lake in Rocky Mountain National Park last week is recovering in the hospital from his injuries and hopes to meet the hikers who helped rescue him.
"I should have died," George Delgado said. "I feel incredibly blessed, honestly, because it could have been so much worse."
Before heading back down, Delgado said he and his friend took a dip in Chasm Lake last Thursday morning.
Delgado said the fall occurred shortly thereafter.
"I slipped on one of these rocks, and I remember falling on my butt, and I started to slide off the rock. There's nothing to really grab, and I just knew I was going to fall," Delgado said.
He remembers waking up surrounded by a group of hikers who came to his rescue.
"They had my wounds being covered and applying compression. I bled out through my hip. The bone was sticking out. The other two (hikers) had satellite phones," Delgado said.
Their efforts were even more surprising because Delgado and his friend had specifically picked that time of day to avoid the crowds.
"It's amazing because it was empty right before I fell," he said. "That would have been disastrous if I fell and nobody was around."
His mother, Carmen Delgado, is sure George's survival wasn't just pure luck. Instead, it may have very well been a miracle.
"I'm extremely thankful for all the people that gave their support to Georgie," she said. "I truly believe that it was my husband (who passed away several months ago) or many angels around him that cushioned his fall."
Doctors told Delgado he'll need about three months of rehab and physical therapy to recover from his injuries.
"It has me a little anxious and frustrated, but I have to remind myself that I'm blessed to be here," he said.
But Delgado knows it could've been a lot worse had those hikers not been there to help him.
"I want these people to know that I'm very thankful, and I'll forever thank them, and I feel very blessed," he said. "It's because of them that I'm alive today."
Delgado wants to connect with the hikers who rescued him so he can thank them for their efforts. If you know anyone involved in the rescue, contact Denver7's Pattrik Perez so he can connect you with Delgado and his family.
If you'd like to donate, Delgado's family has started a GoFundMe to help him with his medical expenses.
