A rescued Brisbane bush walker has an incredible story of survival. He was stranded for two days with serious injuries before being airlifted to safety.

Harris Wakeling reports.

TRANSCRIPT

What was only a three hour trip, turned into a two day nightmare.

On Monday, Neil Parker went on a solo walk along Cabbage Tree Creek on Mount Nebo, before disaster struck.

Neil Parker, Survivor: “I slid about twenty foot, cartwheeled, slammed into the rock and then landed in the creek at the bottom.”

The six metre fall fractured both his leg and wrist, leaving him in what he described as the worst possible scenario.

Neil’s only contact with the outside world was his mobile phone, but as he struggled out of the creek, it fell in the water.

Neil Parker, Survivor: “Now I have no way of contacting the outside world, and I was thinking, the only way I’m going to get rescued is self-rescue.”

He splinted his leg with hiking sticks and dragged himself for three kilometres to a clearing.

His boss and family noticed he was missing and alerted authorities.

A rescue helicopter found him two days later and took him to the Princess Alexandra hospital for surgery.

Nicola Ward, Orthopaedic Surgeon: “Amazing, I’ve never heard any such survival effort with two broken limbs.”

The incident has not dampened his passion for bushwalking.

Neil Parker, Survivor: “I’m pretty confident that I’ll get back out there.”

His recovery is expected to take ten weeks.

Harris Wakeling, QUT News.