Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was a blessing. However you want to call it, 59-year-old Jonathan Ceplecha is alive by the grace of whatever higher power you believe in. According to KARE11, Mr. Ceplecha, who is a teacher and Army veteran, was cutting down trees on his property when one fell and pinned both of his legs. The GoFundMe page for Mr. Ceplecha states that his legs were instantly broken, and his upper torso was "semi-twisted as he sat upright on the ground." He was also without his phone at the time of the incident, so he could not call anyone for help.
According to the GoFundMe, Mr. Ceplecha, "ate plants and insects within arm's reach, drank sweat and rainwater that he collected in his clothes, and covered his head in his shirt during the nights to keep the insects off as he slept." After several missed calls from family and associates, and also his job calling his ex-wife searching for him after he did not show up, Mr. Ceplecha was finally discovered. His ex-wife found him on Monday evening, August 31st, after Mr. Ceplecha spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and most of Monday trapped under the tree.
It took roughly two hours for the Redwood Falls Fire Department to get Ceplecha out from under the tree. He was airlifted to a hospital and underwent various surgeries and is recovering now.
